ELISA ARMSTRONG THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES The Very Young Man and the Angel Child BY ELISA ARMSTRONG *OU| AUTHOR OF "THE TEACUP CLUB." ETC Published in New York by Dodge Publishing Company at One Hundred fSL Fifty Fifth Avenue [The Very Young Man and the Angel Child] COPYRI3HT IN THE YEAR NINETEEN HUNDRED BY DODGE PUBLISHING CO PS 3^63 15he Very Yoving MQL!\ a.nd the Angel Child Chapter I "SOME girls are born bachelors; some achieve bachelorhood, and some have it thrust upon them," remarked Belinda, sententiously. "I am of the first class; you belong to the second, while Miss Adams is a fair exponent of the third. Dolly, we shall have to move again." "I suppose so, dear;" the voice from the couch was very meek; "but really now, Belinda, it was not my fault, was it?" "H'm, I suppose not. But I do wish you could manage to work a little of the sympathy 7 525006 UBRAKX The Very Yo\mg Ma.n out of your voice perhaps elocution lessons would effect that; as for your eyes goggles, and goggles only, might conceal that yearn ing expression, which proves so fatal. 1 do wish that you could contrive to look a little less like a heroine out of a job, Dolly." "I'll try, dear. Belinda, what do you sup pose he is doing now?" "Eating his dinner," said Belinda, crossly; "that is what a man usually does, when he says he is about to commit suicide. Well, after all, some restaurant dinners are as deadly as anything I know. I shall commence flat- hunting first thing to-morrow morning." "But suppose he comes again, while you are away, Belinda? He said " "Fiddlesticks!" replied Belinda, briskly; "put him to taking down curtains. If he does, that step-ladder of ours would take the senti ment out of anybody. And, Dolly " "Yes, dear." "If you ever discover another literary genius, living in the same apartment house, I'll never forgive you, as long as I live." 8 And the Angel Child "But, Belinda, I only said that his work was beautiful and that editors ought to appreciate it, if they did not. I don't see why he should decide that he could not live without me, just because of that. Oh, dear, I am afraid that he is poor, too ! I wish " "Of course he is," retorted Belinda, unfeel ingly; "he wouldn't be so anxious to marry, if he wasn't. There, don't look so I didn't mean it, and the exercise of flat-hunting will do me good. We need another closet anyhow, and a better light for your easel. I I'm de lighted to move, and, if you want, I'll see him this evening and tell him that there is really no hope and I'll bribe the janitor to tell him that you are out to-morrow. But, Dolly, do learn to say 'No' with a capital, and not *n no/ with a very small 'n,' as you usually do. Let me see ; how many times have I given the coup-de-grace for you ? There was young Wells, who serenaded you until the police in terfered; Tom Nolan, who sent his best friend to propose for him; the widower, who why, Dolly, darling, don't cry ! I'll settle him in the 9 morning 1 , and tell you what, you shall go and stay with your sister, while I attend to the mov ing there! Look here, Dolly, I'll go and look at that vacant flat in the building where Miss Adams lives. She says there isn't a man in it who even looks up to see who is coming, when he hears the rustle of skirts on the stairs. I think it would be the very place for us." "I am sure of it," wailed Dolly; "do let us go at once, Belinda dear!" And so the deci sion was reached. It seemed to Belinda, a day or two later, when she stood amid the wreck of all her dearest Lares and Penates, that she was a kind of a female Wandering Jew. "This is five times we have moved in the two years that Dolly and I have spent together, not counting the regular summer flittings," she sighed. "Well, I think I've found the right place, at last; and it is lucky, too, for the couch is a bit wobbly, and I doubt if the large jars will stand many more trips to the man who mends china. It does seem to me JO And the Angel Child that we'd have saved money by investing in a frame building which could be moved bodily, every time the young man next door or across the way, took to proposing to Dolly more than once a week!" So saying, she gathered up the afternoon teakettle, a growing plant, her satchel, a few old and valuable tea cups, a hand mirror, a forgotten hat, and her umbrella, and went her weary way to the new abode. "Well, thank goodness, the furniture is here," she said, as she staggered into the hall. "Dolly will reach here not later than seven o'clock, and we can at least find a pile of cushions on which to sleep the sleep of the ex hausted, to-night !" The janitor met her on the landing, suave and jaunty : "Walk in, mum, whether it bees yez or th' scrubwoman. The movers was afther break- in' your looking-glass, an' sorra a bit oov luck will yez have in th' house; but it's glad Oi am t' see yez here. Oi'd have been afther settin' things in order a bit, boot for th' misery in me side, thot made me take a wee drop of M The Very Young Ma.n th' crayther, an' it's not Dinnis Rafferty thot would demane himself by seekin' th' society oov ladies, when he's had a drop." With which, he went peacefully away, to carry the news to the tenants on the floor below, leav ing Belinda with a racking headache and no prospect of dinner, while the furniture was piled, sharp edges out, in the middle of the floor. Then, after surveying it, she broke down and wept, just like an ordinary woman. "It do be bachelor gurrls they call their- selves," the janitor informed the Very Young Man, who answered his knock ; "an' it's think- in' oov resoignin' Oi'd be, if it wasn't for th' laving oov Musther Tracy an' yoursel'. Th' loocksmith was here th' afthernoon puttin' on exthra fastenin's t' th' dures, an' it's a doirect reflection on my honesty, it is. Th' sofy pillows is piled everywheres, an' it's a soight oov bating them roogs will take. Oi con get along will enough wid th' ould maids loike Miss Adams, bless 'em they're paceable enough, whin they don't want ye t' crawl oonder J2 And the Angel Child th' beds t' hoont for burglars, an' savin' whin they sees moice in th' rooms; boot how this new koind '11 do, Oi dunno." And he went away, shaking his head sadly. "Bachelor girls, is it?" sighed the Very Young Man. "Well, they won't invite us to Sunday evening tea, or beg us to help them get up little dances, anyhow; and that's one comfort. Now, I don't mind acting as beater in one of Miss Adams' grand burglar hunts, once in a while, because that is exciting; but I shall refuse to be roused from my rosy dreams more than once a week, to go down to the front door and let in bachelor girls who have gone to the theater alone and forgotten their latch-keys. Even my sweet temper " "Your sweet what?" came a drowsy voice from the sofa. "Temper. Did you think I said 'smile'? No, even my sweet temper will not stand Hello, what's that?" "Sounds like a knock, though it might be a ghostly warning. You might investigate and find out." The voice was drowsier than ever. The Very Young Man threw a pillow, with unerring aim, before he went to open the door. Just as he laid his hand on the knob, a sweet voice called, on the other side of the door. "Don't be afraid to open it, darling; it is only me! I couldn't get here sooner, and Oh, my goodness gracious!" For the door flew open, and the Very Young Man stood on the threshold. "I oh, I beg your pardon for my stupid mistake," Dolly faltered. "I was looking for Miss Manly, and I must have stopped one flight too soon;" and, still apologizing, she faded away up the stairs. "When you are quite through wagging your head at vacancy, dear boy, you .might come in," came a suave voice from the sofa; "I feel a draught. What was it?" "The very prettiest girl I ever saw in my life," the Very Young Man replied. "Say, Tracy, I er almost met Miss Manly at Mrs. Smithson's musical? last winter, and I'm going J4 And the Angel Child up to see what I can do for them. It's a shame for Rafferty to neglect new tenants, and acquaintances of mine, too, in that fashion; I'll complain to the agent, if he does. I'll be back in half an hour;" he was struggling into his coat, as he spoke. "If ever I speak to another girl, unneces sarily, you may order a strait-jacket for me!" The voice was evidently quoting; "and fur thermore " the rest of the speech was cut off by the hurried closing of a door. "And I never felt so foolish in my life," finished Dolly. "What do you suppose he thought of me for calling out like that?" "I'm sure I don't know," Belinda replied, absently; "it doesn't greatly matter, anyhow. Dolly, this alcove is three inches shorter than the old one, after all. How shall we manage to squeeze the couch in? Oh, dear, a man is useful sometimes, if only to scold when things go wrong. Do you think you could find the janitor's bell ?" "That must be him now !" Dolly cried, joy- The Very Yo\mg Man fully. "Do you know how to get this door unfastened, Belinda?" After some minutes, spent in turning the new acquisition alternately to the right and left, the door sprung open unexpectedly, re vealing the Very Young Man on the thresh old. "I was passing the door, and as I remem bered meeting Miss Manly at Mrs. Smithson's musicale, last winter, I thought I would step in to see if I could be of any help," he said. "My name is Sweeting." He fixed his eyes resolutely on Belinda, as he spoke, pointedly refusing to see Dolly's blushes. "I'm sure I don't remember you," Belinda replied, ungratefully; "however, I'd be glad to see any able-bodied man, at this moment. If you will help us to move a few of these things, I shall be eternally grateful, as soon as ever I reach my normal state of equanimity. I think the chafing-dish is resting under that screen and on the portrait of my great-great grandfather. We can talk of Mrs. Smith- son while you work." 16 And the Angel Child At the end of two hours, the Very Young Man rested from his labors, and wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief which he had- previously used to dust the carved chair. "I fear that I must run away now," he re marked; "my friend Tracy and I are going to the theater this evening, and " "To-morrow I think you mean," Belinda said. "It is ten o'clock now. Well, really, I am very much obliged for your efforts to help us. Of course, the janitor would have known how to set up the couch without tipping over the screen, and he would probably have made fewer indelible scratches on the mahogany table. Still, one cannot have everything, and I know that you have tried to help us." "Yes, we are very grateful," Dolly said, speaking for the first time within the hour. And her eyes were even more grateful than her tones. "Look here, Dolly Watterson," Belinda cried, when the door closed behind the Very Young Man, "I have moved for the last J7 The Very Young time for at least two years. I signed a lease on purpose, so I couldn't; and if you let that young man fall in love with you, I I'll leave you to get rid of him yourself there!" And she refused to say another word on the sub ject, although Dolly accused her of lack of ap preciation for neighborly kindness, and other crimes, equally base. Scarcely was this little tilt over, when there came a nerve-racking series of taps and tattoos on the door. "Who is it?" Belinda cried. "No, Dolly, I will not have you open it until I know who it is. What if " "It's Edward Faversham Wycoff," a shrill voice replied, "and I want to get in this minute !" Again the fastenings of the door were con quered and it swung open to admit a small boy, with an angelic countenance, somewhat marred by traces of caramels; he was attired in his night garments and also wore a heavenly smile. "Mamma has just run in to see Miss Adams And the Angel Child for a minute," he announced, "and I came down here because I knew I'd have plenty of time for a nice visit before she gets back and misses me. I wanted to see you pretty bad, because I guess mamma won't let me or papa have any thing to do with you. I heard the janitor tell her that you was bachelors, an' she often tells papa when he comes home at night, that he has to give up them bachelors right here an' now. They're not good frien's for a married man, you know. Say, do you sleep in that box? An' what d'ye do with all them sofa pillows? guess you can have a pillow-fight every night, like papa an' I do when mamma just goes out for a skirt, binding, on bargain days, an' never gets back until seven o'clock in the evening." Belinda gasped: "Stop him, Dolly, or he'll tell us his entire family history! I feel as if I had been listening at somebody's door ?" "Oh, bless you, mamma doesn't mind," the Angel Child retorted. "She says you might as well live in a glass case as in an apartment house, anyhow. She tells papa lots of; things 19 The Very Young Ma.n that happens in the house, at dinner, espe cially when he says the meat's tough, or she wants him to take her to the theater." Belinda wrung her hands : "Look here ; do you like fruit cake?" she asked. "Yes, Dolly, I know it's bad for his little internal economy, but these revelations are worse for our morals." "Won't youY mamma be very anxious about you, dear?" Dolly asked. "Oh, she won't miss me. She's gone to ask Miss Adams all about you. I heard her tell papa that she hadn't the energy to collect the information at first hand, so she'd ask her, an' what she didn't know wouldn't be no loss." Belinda had now fished out the cake box from between the cedar chest and Dolly's paint box. She pressed a huge slice into the willing hand of her small guest. "I'll sit on your lap to eat it," he said to Dolly. "Your cheeks are awful nice an' pink, I guess she's better'n you are, but I like ^ou best," "Most people do," Belinda murmured. 20 And the Angel Child "Solid virtues seem to weigh little in the scale against pink cheeks and fluffy curls. Never mind, Dolly; you needn't look so guilty. If only one of us could have them, I'd rather it was you than me. Mercy, what's that?" "It sounds like mamma," calmly replied the Angel Child; "you needn't be scared, though. Papa says her bark is worse than her bite." "Yes, he's here, all safe!" Belinda called. "Dolly, do help me to get these locks opened. It seems to me that I had better apprentice myself to a burglar, before I have any more of 'em put on." This time, a fluffy-haired little matron stood on the threshold. "I'm sure I don't know what you'll think of me," she said. "I just ran in to see Miss Adams in the next flat, for a moment, and Edward ran away. I don't know what I ought to do with him." "But, mamma, you didn't tell me not to come down here." The smile was rendered more seraphic by the fruit cake. "How should I ever think of such a thing, when you were in bed," his mother groaned. 2* The Very Young Ma.n "I've been all over the building hunting for him," she explained; "and only came here as a last resort, before notifying the police." "Well, you might as well come here first, after this, mamma. One of 'em keeps fruit cake in a band box, an' the other one is awful pretty. I don't believe they are the kind of bachelors you told papa to let alone, in future." "The dear little fellow seems to have taken a fancy to us," said Dolly, weakly, in the aw ful pause which fell upon them. "I am glad, for I am very fond of children, and so is Belinda." "Yes, I'll come to see you often," went on the Angel Child, in calm unconsciousness. "Do you like to play fire? Because, if you do, I'll climb out of our dining-room window, an' come down the fire-escape, callin' 'fire,' an' you can " "Edward Faversham Wycoff!" cried his mother, "if you ever let me catch you doing such a thing, I'll " The Angel Child freed himself from Dolly, ran to his mother and put his arms about her. 22 And the Ange2 Child 'Then, you might stop me by buying that police patrol wagon I want so bad then, I'll not be tempted," he said, coaxingly. "I'll get it for you to-morrow, if you promise never, never to go near that fire-escape, until you're twenty-one years old. I am sure I don't know what you will think of me," she added, turning to Belinda. "I am really very strict with him, but Well, if you had a child like him, you'd " "Do exactly as you do, no doubt," promptly answered Belinda. "Must you go?" As the door opened for the egress of the guests, an elderly man passed it. "Well, young gentleman, in trouble again?" he said, cheerfully. "No, he isn't, but I am," the Matron replied ; "think of choosing this hour and fashion to call upon the new tenants, when I had a new gown and a delightful anecdote, all ready for the occasion !" "Ah, well, Mrs. Wycoff, just try being phil osophical and " "Thank you, I shall the very next time 23 The Very Yo\mg Man that any one else is in trouble. No doubt, I shall find it very consoling!" was the retort. And the philosopher went chuckling up the stairs. Miss Adams passed him, coming down, a weight of care upon her brow. "Let me in, girls," she called, through the Keyhole. "It's late, I know ; but I thought I'd better warn you that your doors might not be securely locked and you would be on your guard. No, don't bother, after all, to undo the bolts ; I can't leave my flat unprotected. I only wanted to tell you that I saw a strange man on the opposite side of the street to-day, looking over here very hard. He might have been planning to rob and murder us all in our beds to-night, for aught I know. Oh, yes, he was respectable enough, in appearance, but he might be all the more dangerous for that. And I saw a very rough looking person carry ing in coal for the janitor to-day who knows what he may have been up to in the cellar? Of course, I don't want to alarm you, but an ounce of prevention, you know. Well, good night and pleasant dreams. 24 And the Angel Child Belinda and Dolly looked at each other, with blanched faces. "Oh, Belinda," Dolly cried, "if you are murdered the very first night after moving on my account, I shall never forgive myself while I live!" "N-never mind, I am not afraid," Belinda said, though her looks belied her; "and, any how, dear, I doubt if they'd kill me and leave you to call the police. Goodness, another knock! Who is it?" she called. "I am dot yanitor's wife," was the reply; "an' I cooms oop to see what I can do mit you." The bolts flew open this time. A stout figure and a friendly face filled the doorway. "Isn't it rather late?" Dolly asked, mildly. "Id is, put I sleeps not undil I finds out you vas comfordables. Dot RafFerdy, he vos a good man, put he vas only an Irishman, after all. I married him ven I vos a vidow, an' lonesomes; but I loogs oud for de velfares of dose tenands meinselfs. You tell me ven he does his duty not, an' I makes him do it. L 25 The Very Yoxing Ma.n hear dot Irish an' Shermans always fights, put I say to dot Rafferdy, de veek afder I marries him, Ven ve fights, I gets de pest of id, not?' an' afder dot, we nefer fighds any more." "That must be very nice for you," Belinda said, seeing that Dolly was speechless. "Id is goot for Rafferdy, too. I tells him so efery day. Are you comfordables ?" "Not very," Dolly answered, "Miss Adams says she thinks there are burglars about, and we are so afraid of burglars." "You needn' pe afraid of burglars mit me in de house ; if I hears you screams, I cooms oop an' I sends dot burglars apout deir pusiness righd off. Are you married?" "I am not married," Belinda answered, firmly; "we are both bachelor maids, and we are proud of it." "Dot is vat dot Rafferdy said. Veil, I gitess id is all righd for dose vat liges id. An old maid is a voman dot can't ged a husband, an' a bachelor maid is von dot doan vant von, eh? Veil, I vill tells you dis: id all depends upon de husband. Good-nighd. I cooms oop And the Angel Child in de mornings, an' helps you, an' Rafferdy, he cooms, too." "Well, I never !" Belinda cried, sinking into a chair. "Fasten the door carefully, Dolly; I haven't the strength to do the locks justice, after that." When the lights were out and Belinda had ceased to smell gas, Dolly was aroused from her first sleep, by a punch from Belinda's elbow. "I hear some one in the hall. Are you sure that you fastened the back window?" she breathed. "So sure, that I shall not get up and look once more," was the firm reply. And turning over, she slept, to be once more aroused by the sound of shattered china, as Belinda, return ing from a tour of exploration, miscalculated the distance between the improvised couch and the table on which was piled the best bric-a- brac and their old shoes, which the movers had thoughtfully rescued from the pile of debris in the kitchen and brought along. "Well, never mind," Belinda sighed; "if that The Very Young Ma.n was a burglar, the noise has frightened him away, and that is something. Dolly, has it occurred to you that there are some rather queer people in this building?" There was no reply : the limit of Dolly's en durance was reached. She slept. Chapter II "GOOD-MORNING/' said the Angel Child, pleasantly. "I thought perhaps you'd like to have me come an' eat breakfast with you." The Very Young Man looked up from his paper, in surprise. "Isn't it rather early for a call?" he asked, mildly. "Well, I s'pose it is; but, then, breakfast always is early, you know. I had to come early to come to breakfast. You see, I broke mamma's little vase the one that stands on the table in the parlor. It's so ugly that I'm afraid it's very valuable indeed. I picked up all the pieces carefully, and then I thought that I'd better not be there when she found it; so I thought an' thought, an' I knew you'd be glad t' see me, so I came. Shall I sit here?" "But how did you get in?" asked the Very Young Man. "You don't ride through the air on an enchanted carpet, do you?" 29 The Very Young "We haven't an enchanted carpet. I guess mamma's waiting for a bargain sale to buy one. I came down on the elevator that the ice an' things comes up on. I didn't want t' come out th' front way, because mamma' d see me. I just got out in your kitchen, an' here I am it was very easy. Have you any more of that orange marmalade I like so much?" "Plenty of it. Help yourself, old man. But won't your mother be uneasy about you?" "Yes, I s'pose she'll be ter'ble anxious; but that's all the better for me. She'll be pretty mad about that vase, until she thinks I'm lost. Then she'll begin t' cry, an' say, 'What's a mere vase, anyhow, in comparison to my child ?' It'll be time fer me t' go home then." "But you don't want your mother to cry, do you ?" "Well, I don't know," replied the Angel Child, calmly. "Papa says he guesses it doesn't hurt ladies to cry. I know we went t' th' matinee once, an' th' lights was turned low an' th' music played, an' th' little boy said, 'Who will care fer us now, mother?' An' 30 And the Angel Child mamma cried awful ; but when we come away, she said, 'Oh, wasn't that perfectly beauti ful !' " "Seems to me, that you are an incipient phi losopher, old man," remarked the Very Yoimg Man, when he, too, had wiped a tear away. "Have some more orange marmalade, won't you?" "Thank you ; I've had some more while you were laughing. I can see the bottom of the jar now, but it doesn't really matter, because I've eaten almost all I can." "Then, perhaps I'd better take you upstairs and explain to your mother that it was really an accident about that vase." "No, thank you. She'd laugh while you were there, but you'd have t' go away after awhile, an' I'd be left with her. I guess I'll wait a little longer. Miss Adams has been telling her how I should be brought up, an' she's always pretty strict fer a day or two after that, because she says she wants t' show that old maid that she can bring up a child as good as anybody. Aren't you sorry fer young The Very Young Ma.n people's children, Mr. Sweeting? Mr. Hardy is ; I heard him tell Mrs. Rafferdy so, the other day. He said, 'Well, well, everybody must learn by experience, an' th' only wonder is that more children aren't killed by th' experiment.' He gave me a quarter then, so I guess he must mean me. I like people that gives me quarters. Dolly gave me one yesterday do you know Dolly, Mr. Sweeting?" The Very Young Man turned pink. "I know Miss Watterson slightly," he said, gravely. "I think it would be more proper for you to call her 'Miss Dolly," though." "Oh, Dolly doesn't mind I told her that I was going t' call her 'Dolly,' an' she jest laughed. It sounds nice when Dolly laughs. I kissed her, when I come away. I don't like much to be kissed, but I don't really mind when she kisses me." "Happy youth," said a voice behind him; "they kiss us when we don't appreciate it, ^nd they won't kiss us, when we do ! Good morn ing, Master Wycoff. To what may we ascribe the honor of this early visit?" 32 And the Angel Child "Oh, it's you, is it, Mr. Tracy? I'm afraid you won't find any marmalade for your break fast; I've eaten so much of it, that I might just as well finish it, while I'm about it. I came here, because I was afraid mamma an* I would have a little unpleasantness about a vase that got broke while I was looking at it." "A little unpleasantness, eh? What do you mean by a little unpleasantness?" "Well, that's what papa calls it when mamma cries, an' says she wishes she'd a-known when she was well off but girls never does! Did you ever have anybody talk like that to you, Mr. Sweeting?" "No, he never did, and he never will," put in Mr. Tracy, promptly. "You see, Master Wycoff, Mr. Sweeting has no opinion of girls at present. He never means to speak to one, if he can help it, while he lives. Of course, he must make an exception when one of them calls him /darling,' through a door, but " "Oh!" the Angel Child was getting beyond his depth, and he knew it. "Dolly calls me 'darling,' an' I don't mind it. She mustn't 33 The Very Young Ma.n do it before the other kids, though. They might call 'darling' after me, in th' street, if she did. They don't seem t' like my hair, somehow. I hate curls myself, but mamma thinks they're sweet. She puts up her hair at night in funny little kid things that she hides in a drawer in th' day. An' sometimes she says t' the other ladies, don't they pity women that hasn't got naturally curly hair? An' they always say, indeed they do. I guess I must have said something pretty funny, haven't I?" "I think you have, old man; but I wouldn't repeat it to your mother, if I were you. She mightn't think it as funny as we do. How is your father?" the Very Young Man said. "I guess he's pretty well this morning, thank you. Aunt Alice an' Mr. Brownston came t' dinner at our house las' night, an' mamma told him in th' morning he'd have t' wear evening dress that funny spike-tailed coat, you know. Papa said he'd rather hang pictures than do it, but mamma cried an' Faid he'd rather do anything than what she wanted 34 And the Angel Child him t' do. After she'd cried awhile, papa put down his paper an' said, 'Oh, well, get the thing out, an' I'll make a monkey of myself in it!' Then mamma said, no, she didn't want him t' wear it, if he didn't want t' ; he could be jest as uncivilized as he wanted to ; she didn't care. By 'n' by, papa said he'd rather wear it than anything else, an' would she like him t' bring some roses home with him when he came? You know, Mr. Brownston is going t' marry Aunt Alice at least if he isn't, he ought t' be, an' papa ought really t' give him a hint. Mamma said she asked him t' dinner t' let him see that Aunt Alice's people were as good as his ever dared to be. She had a lot of nice things, an' she told me I'd have t' wait, nex' time there was company, if I said anything about not having ice cream every day." "And did you say anything about it?" asked the Very Young Man, after he had caught his breath. "No, I didn't. I did one pretty bad thing, though. You know, mamma, she hasn't any 35 The Very Young Ma.i\ ice cream forks, an' Aunt Alice told her they always use 'em at Mr. Brownston's house, so mamma borrowed Miss Adams' for th' 'casion. She sent me down after 'em, in the afternoon, but Miss Adams said she'd come up with me an' bring 'em. She was afraid I might drop some of 'em in th' hall. After Miss Adams was gone, mamma said she guessed what she was afraid of was that she wouldn't know just what we was going t' have fer dinner." "And did she?" enquired Tracy, gravely. "I guess she did. She asked mamma if she mightn't go into the kitchen a minute, t' see if it was decorated just like hers was. Mamma told papa that she didn't mind, anyhow, for Miss Adams was awful good that time T had th' croup, an' she let me play with the clock that's on th' parlor mantel an' doesn't go. I liked the dinner, an' I told Mr. Brownston I wished him an' Aunt Alice would come an' take dinner with us every day. He looked awful queer, when I said that, like you look when something has gone down your Sunday throat, you know. Aunt Alice didn't seem t' 36 And the Angel Child hear, though I said it real loud. Mamma got pink, like she does when papa tells people about her bargains, an' said, 'Edward!' When she calls me 'Baby,' or 'Ned/ it's all right, but when she says, 'Edward,' like that, it's better t' mind, an' I did. The ice cream was good, but we're never t' have any more, because I said to mamma, 'Did Miss Adams have it every day, because she had those cute little forks to eat it with.' I'm afraid I'm a lot of trouble to my mother, Mr. Sweeting." "I'm afraid you are, old man. I shouldn't wonder if that was her at the door now. Oh, it's you, is it, Rafferty? Yes, he's here. Is his mother very anxious about him?" "She is thot, sor. She's afther saying thot she'll niver see her choild again, an' phen she does, she'll give him something thot'll kape him frim running away for wan whoile." "Has papa gone t' th' office, Mr. Rafferdy?" asked the Angel Child, with some anxiecy. "He hos thot. Yez haven't annything thot's good for a pain in moi soide, hov yez, sor? Th' rugs thot thim young ladies hos, do be th' 37 The Very Young Man ould bhoy t' shake, an' thot wan wid th' glasses, she's th' girrul thot can see a spheck av dirt a moile off. But for Musther Tracy an' ye- self, Oi'd be resoignin' t'noight. Thank ye, sor; th' saint's bed in Hivin, an' may yez be a long toime going to it!" And, with the pleasant chink of coin in his pocket, he melted away. "I guess I'd belter go now," remarked the Angel Child, thoughtfully. "It'll be safe. When mamma says she's going t' punish me, she isn't so likely t' do it. It's when she doesn't say anything, but just pulls off her slip per, that I get it. Well, good-bye." And he went his placid way. "Well, I suppose you'll be reading law all day?" said Tracy, as he struggled into his coat. "I envy you; I've got to interview a man to-day on such a pleasant topic, that I shall probably be brought home in an ambu lance. I'm to ask him how a man feels when he marries a woman he thought was worth a million, and finds that her money was chiefly invested in castles in Spain. The newspaper 38 And the Angel Child business is played out, I tell you. I mean to drop it and go into something else, right away." The Very Young Man smiled cheerfully: "I've heard you say something like that twice a day, when it wasn't oftener, for two years. I guess you'll hold on awhile longer. Yes, I shall read hard all day, and you needn't envy me." It happened that on his way to his desk, he stopped at the window. There he stood, in deep thought for ten minutes. At the end of that time, he said: "Oh, hang it, I will. I don't believe Raf- ferty will go near them, and I heard Miss Manly tell him yesterday that she wanted the curtains hung. If a B. A. isn't able to hang curtains, I don't know what he is good for! And I'd like to see whether her eyes are gray or blue, by daylight." "Oh, it's you, is it, Mr. Sweeting?" Belinda sighed, a few moments later. "I hoped it was the janitor." "I'm sure that Miss Manly doesn't mean that 39 The Very Young she isn't glad to see you, Mr. Sweeting," Dolly came to the rescue. "You see, we are rather worried about our curtains. We have been here five days now, and no curtains adorn our windows yet. The janitor always says he'll hang them right away, but he goes out for a step-ladder or a screw-driver, or some thing, and doesn't return. When we go down to ask about it, we can only find his wife, and she asks us so many questions about our affairs, that we come away without having properly stated the case." "Why, how very odd," said the Very Young Man, mendaciously. "I like nothing better than hanging curtains, and er as I am an old acquaintance of Miss Manly, I dropped in to see if there was anything I could do for you." "Oh, if you only would," Dolly sighed. "I am sure that you could do it much better than the janitor, anyhow brains will tell, you know." "At any rate, he can try," said Belinda, briskly. "Since you know so much about it, 40 And the Angel Child I suppose you can just go on and do it by your self. The step-ladder is over there with a few things on it. You can get it out, -can't you?" "Oh, easily." He could just discern its out line. "But I I thought if Miss Watterson would just sit here and direct me, I could do better." "Dolly is busy sewing on rings. You go on with the curtain-hanging, and I can direct from here. Dear me, it does seem that it takes us a great while to get fixed up here longer than it has ever done before. And we have moved so often. That is the bottom of the curtain, Mr. Sweeting, not the top/' "Oh, I I see. So you have moved fre quently, Miss Manly? I suppose you are hard to please." "Miss Dolly is rather hard to please, and that I believe you could hang them better, if you put one on each side of the window, Mr. Sweeting." "I Oh, yes, yes, I see now. There arc so many ways of hanging curtains, you know," he was surreptitiously wiping his perspiring The Very Young Ma.n brow. "So Miss Watterson is hard to please, is she? Now, suppose you tell me, for in stance, why you left your last place." He heroically concealed his anguish when a hidden pin dug itself into his palm. "Well, let me see. I believe it was chiefly because he had red ears and large hands, wasn't it, Dolly? And he read po " "Oh, Belinda, how can you!" The eyes were certainly blue, and there was a big tear in each of them. "I suppose it is a joke, which I fail to un derstand, Miss Manly," said the Very Young Man, stiffly. "It seems a pity, though, to tease a person who is of so acutely sensitive an organization." Belinda groaned inwardly, "Oh, what a rfoose I am! I only meant to give him a friendly warning, and now I have convinced l:im that I am cruel to her. The next thing will be a desire to protect her and then she will be begging me to see her safely out of the street door when she is going anywhere alone! Why should a girl who has made up her mind 42 And the Angel Child not to marry anybody, have such eyes and such lashes?" Aloud, she said, "Oh, yes, it was merely a silly joke. If I were in your p'ace, Mr. Sweeting, I should choose two curtains which match, for the same window. The one on the left, belongs in the next room. It seems to me, that as an expert on the hanging of curtains, you might know that." "I er I have always hung colored curtains before," responded the Very Young Man, as cheerfully as he could. "Perhaps if Miss Wat- terson has finished sewing on rings, she might " "I'll come and attend to it myself," replied Belinda, briskly; "that is the way to have a thing done properly, as every well-mannered copy-book will tell you. And I think you had better take them both down and begin over again, if you don't mind, Mr. Sweeting." Dolly raised her eyes for an instant, but there was sympathy in that glance. Yes, they were certainly blue, or was it gray-blue? It did not occur to the Very Young Man that he The Very Young Ma.n was by no means the first person who had in terested himself in the question. "I am a mere cumberer of the ground," re marked Belinda, after a long pause. "Really, Dolly, there is no adequate reason for my ex istence. Henceforth, I mean to be of some use in the world, and I " "Oh, we are not going back to the slum- visiting, are we?" cried Dolly, apprehensively. "I don't believe we did a bit of good when we did it. And, oh, Mr. Sweeting, the boys were perfectly horrid! And I never did get ac customed to going into other people's houses, without an invitation, even if they were poor. I I don't believe that very poor people like ad vice any better than any one else there!" "Oh, yes, really, I would not do slum-visit ing, if I were you, Miss Manly!" cried the Very Young Man, fervently. "You know there are always diseases going about there. What if Miss Watterson caught scarlet fever, or something like that? And you might catch it yourself, too, you know," he added, as an afterthought. 44 And the Angel Child "Possibly," said Belinda, dryly. "I am not aware that I am an immune. As it happened, however, I was not thinking of slum-visitmg. It has occurred to me that the art of conversa tion is almost extinct. You have noticed it, have you not?" "Well, er I went to an afternoon tea the other day, and " "I did not say 'talk/ " said Belinda, stiffly; "I said 'conversation.' It seems to me, that the person who causes two epigrams to be made, where only one had existed before, would be a benefactor to the human race. Dolly, I think I shall establish a salon/' "How very nice of you, dear," replied Dolly, dutifully, "but, oh, Belinda, I never made an epigram in my life !" "Oh, well, the conversation will not be all epigrams, you know. Of course, a salon would be rather a different matter now, from what it was in the eighteenth century. It might even be a good deal like a regular 'day' only no one would say, 'How very sweet of 45 The Very Young Msxn you to come,' and and things like that, you know." "I er no doubt," replied the Very Young Man, vaguely; "I suppose you would consent to take an apprentice or two in the art of con versation, Miss Manly? Perhaps in time, Miss Watterson and I might learn to make brilliant impromptu speeches, with as little preparation as any one." "Perhaps," said Belinda, absently. "I shall ask Mr. Tracy to come, Dolly ; newspaper men are so brilliant, aren't they?" "Oh, yes, always," replied Dolly, dutifully. "Oh, now, you know, Miss Watterson, Tracy is all sorts of a good fellow, but he isn't brilliant. I wouldn't be a friend of his, if I let you think that. And he he isn't very fond of the socoety of young ladies, either." "So much the better," cried Belinda, blithely ; "we are not mere young ladies ; we are bachelor girls, with no nonsense about us. I shall certainly ask Mr. Tracy. Then, there is Mr. Hardy, who lives on the fifth floor. As soon as Miss, Adams introduced him to us, I 46 And the Angel Child felt that he would be an acquisition; he is a person about whom there is no nonsense at all. I was struck by the sensible way in which he talked to you, Dolly. Then, of course, there is Miss Adams. She is reading a book on the salons of famous women now, on purpose. Of course," she added, modestly, "we shall not expect to become a factor in politics or or anything like that; but we shall, I hope, prove that there are women with brains and tact to day, as well as in the past. Then, there is Mrs. Wycoff, and her husband, too. He can make as good a rarebit as I ever tasted, and a person who can make a good rarebit, can do anything. I shall ask Mae and Evelyn, too, Dolly ; it may benefit them. Oh, dear, there is some one at the door ! Hold that fold just as it is, until I come back, Mr. Sweeting, please." The Very Young Man sat down on the top of the step-ladder, with the folds held care fully in his hand. He had been wishing that Miss Manly would go away and let him talk to Dolly, and now that the thing had actually 47 The Very Young Man happened, he could not think of a thing to say. And Dolly sat demurely sewing. "Miss Watterson," he said, suddenly, "do you " The eyes were gray, after all; it was the blackness of the lashes which made them some times seem blue ! They were look ing curiously at him now. "Do you like hay- rides?" he finished, lamely. "Do I like what?" Dolly asked, as if suspi cious of his sanity. "Hay-rides." He felt the blood mount to his forehead. "In in summer, you know. Lots of people do." "No doubt. I have never tried one myself, so I can't say. Why, here is Edward ! Where did you come from, darling?" "I came in, while Miss Manly was talking to Mrs. Rafferdy in the hall. I am going out with mamma, because she is afraid to trust me out of her sight. She has gone back now to see if she locked the dining-room window, for sure. Why, Mr. Sweeting, what are you doing here? Mr. Tracy said you never meant to speak to a girl again, unless she called vou 48 And the Angel Child 'darling/ through a door! Did you do that, Dolly?" And before either Dolly or the Very Young Man could frame adequate reply, the Angel Child had responded to an imperative call from the stairs. The eyes were bent upon the work now, and the ear over which two tiny curls hovered so distractingly, was very pink indeed. The next moment, Belinda was in the room. "Don't let me keep you any longer, Mr. Sweet ing," she said. "Mrs. Rafferty has promised to send her husband up at once, and I have decided to take down those curtains and put them in the other room. It was very good of you to try to help us, I am sure ; but you must .have work to do, and I must not keep you any longer. Why, Dolly Watterson, your face is scarlet, and you do look so queer. I believe you have a fever, this very minute! She looks as if she had, doesn't she, Mr. Sweet- ing?" "I I am quite well, dear," faltered Dolly. "But I am afraid that Mr. Sweeting will think us rather ungrateful, won't he?" 49 The Very Young MQLI\ "Oh, not at all, not at all !" cried the Very Young Man, so fervently that his conscience must have given him a twinge. "You you are quite sure that there is nothing more I can do for you?" "You may come to the salon, if you like," Belinda answered, with more cordiality than she had shown before. "He is sure to like Evelyn, is he not, Dolly?" When the door had closed behind the guest, Belinda stood, thoughtful. "After all, he is not a bad sort of a person, is he?" she said; "he didn't seem to have much to say, when I was out of the room, did he? He was looking bored when I came back. I am glad that I asked him to come to the salon. He and Evelyn will get on finely, I am sure. I shall tell her all about him to-day." The Very Young Man went soberly down the stairs. He read very hard indeed for three- quarters of an hour. At the end of that time, he spoke, with his eyes still on the page be fore him. "If I had that little wretch here, I'd half 50 And the Angel Child kill him!" he said; then he added, inconse- quently, "And Miss Manly need not be uneasy I shall not give her too much of my society ! I shall limit my acquaintance to an occasional formal call, in future." About half an hour later, he said suddenly : "Well, I shall go just once, anyhow ; merely to let her see that I am not the idiot I ap peared this morning!" It is probable that the last remark had no reference to Belinda. Chapter III "THERE is no freedom like unto that of the bachelor girl," observed Belinda, as she went about the room moving chairs and settling sofa pillows. "Now, if we had husbands, they would always want to sit in the chimney- corner, when we wished to go out, or in the seat of the scornful when we wanted to enter tain guests. We could have no salon, if we were married, Dolly." "But, then, nobody would much care to come to it, if we were old maids, would they?" queried Dolly. "Belinda, I I wonder if we shall be old maids by and by?" Belinda made no immediate reply; she had gone instead to answer a knock at the door. The Matron and the Philosopher stood, smil ing, on the threshold. "We have come for a cup of tea and an 53 The Very Young epigram," said the lady. "I like lemon in the former and spice in the latter, if you please." "Is that quite fair?" demanded the Phi losopher. "My own idea of the salon is, that it is a sort of a literary basket-party. The hostess, in this case, is evidently prepared to furnish the tea; therefore, I consider it but right that we bring our own epigrams. But you look thoughtful, Miss Watterson. Are you 'uneasy lest you forget a carefully prepared impromptu speech? Or are you merely re signed to the necessity of listening to speeches which appear brilliant to their makers?" "Neither. I I was wondering whether bachelor girls become old maids, when when they no longer seem young, even to them selves !" "Or their elder sisters? My dear young lady, I should define the bachelor girl as a fe male who refused to marry, and an old maid as one who would cheerfully accept anything rather than her own fate. The old maid may, therefore, become a bachelor girl; but the bachelor girl can never become an old maid." 54 And the Angel Child "Oh!" said Dolly. "Well, I must say that it is much pleasanter to be a bachelor girl than an old maid. But, Mr. Hardy, if the masculine bachelor is, as he says, the happiest of human beings, why is he usually so cynical about everything?" "H'm I can only suppose that since cyni cism is the reverse of socialism, and matri mony is practical socialism, he is merely vindi cating his own opinion." "Ah, if the most of us cultivated our morals as carefully as we do our opinions, the world would need fewer reformatories," sighed the Matron. "Well, I have noticed one similar ity between the bachelor and the old m.iid: he may be selfish in most things, but he is quite willing to have his birthdays five years apart." "While the married man delegates that privi lege to his wife. After all, I doubt if any one over thirty and under ninety really enjoys a birthday." "Unless he is in receipt of a pension," ob served Tracy, who had just entered. "But, 55 The Very Yoving Ma.i\ really, since we are not quarreling, I see no reason why we should mention birthdays at all." "We were speaking of bachelor girls, I think," smiled the Matron. "I suppose the connection was the fact that they do allow themselves birthdays in moderation." "Well, for my part, I had as lief have a per sonal birthday as to buy a thing I really want myself and present it, as a consolation prize to some one else," sighed Evelyn Whiting. "Ah, that is one advantage of having a hus band," said the Matron, cheerfully. "You can give him the thing you want, and then take care of it for him." "And your maiden aunt is sure to remind you of your birthday, anyhow," said Mae Blossom. "Well, all things have some good in them, I suppose. I know of nothing so well calcu lated to console one for the fact that her pil grimage is well nigh over, as the gift of a maiden aunt." "I once knew a woman who well, ab- 56 And the Angel Child stracted a few years when her husband asked her exact age," began the Matron. "Did you ever know one who did not?" queried Evelyn. "And he gave her a string of pearls, ss a birthday present," went on the Matron, not heeding the interruption; "one pearl for each year, you know. The string would have been exactly the right length if she had told him the truth. As it was, she had to take her own money and buy the rest of them." "Husbands are not usually so willing to take their wives at their word," remarked Mae. "Especially when it is the last one," hinted Tracy. "Well, I suppose that even bachelor girls have their own troubles," observed the Matron. "Why, think of it, there is really no one to blame when things go wrong !" "Oh, yes; there is usually the janitor," re plied Belinda. "You can say a good deal to the janitor if the agent is assured of your financial reliability." "I suppose that one might occasionally be 57 The Very Young tempted to pity the lot of the janitor if one had never lived in an apartment building," sighed Tracy. "As it is, we need our pity for ourselves. If we sometimes make things hot for him, he in turn makes it very cold for us." "The pleasantest apartment building I ever lived in, was tenanted by fourteen bachelor girls," said Belinda. "There was one draw back, however," she added; "the janitor was changed so often that we never got within two names of his own when we addressed the latest official." "Well, I know one thing; I should not like to be the wife of a janitor," said the Matron, suddenly. "Of course the average man re quires a great deal of keeping in order; but I never yet knew a woman who wanted any assistance in the work." "Or tolerated it, when offered," responded Tracy. "True," agreed the Matron. "Why, Ed ward, what are you doing here? I thought I told you " 5S And the Angel Child 'I guess you did, mamma," said the Angel Child, who had suddenly appeared upon the scene ; "but you told me so many other things, too, that I forgot them all. That's what papa says, you know, when you tell him to order meat an' embroidery silks, on the same day. Is that pound cake, in the plate behind the teapot, Dolly? Yes, I think I could eat some of it. I have been to see Mr. Sweeting, but he didn't offer me anything nice. He'll be up in a little while, I think, Dolly. He's trying to find a collar that really suits him, and I got tired of waiting, and came on ahead. I hope you will excuse me for sitting with my back to you, mamma. I'd rather not see you, when you motion to me that I've had enough cake. Somehow, we don't agree upon some subjects, you know, and papa says, when that's the case, it is better t' agree t' disagree. Why, there is Mr. Tracy! I wasn't sure but that he had gone t' see somebody that Mr. Sweeting doesn't like. He said that he never in his life saw a man that was so easily flattered by a word from a pretty girl. Do you flatter, Dolly? I 59 The Very Young suppose you do, because you are the prettiest one that's here, and Miss Adams is Why are you pulling at my sleeve, mamma?" "In my childhood, children were seen not heard," observed Miss Adams, in a judicial tone. "Little boys " "I guess things have changed a good deal, since you were a child, Miss Adams," said the Angel Child, sweetly. "Papa says that they have had time to change. Why, what is the matter now, mamma? I guess papa must be right when he says he hopes there will be something good to eat, when he goes out with you. He says you won't let him open his mouth, except to put something in it. Oh, dear, have I done something perfec'ly awful again? I s'pose you'd better try t' bring me up as Miss Adams wants you to I don't seem t' be a credit t' you, as it is. Why, here is Mr. Sweeting ! I thought maybe you cou^ln't find a collar t' suit you, after all, and were not coming. He's only going t' stay a little while, Miss Manly; he says he supposes you merely want him t' talk to the frumps, while th' rest of 60 And the Angel Child you listen to Mr. Tracy's epigrams. What is an epigram, Mr. Tracy?" "An epigram, Master Wycoff, is a clever thing, when you have made it yourself, and an awful bore when somebody else has thought of it first. Take my advice, and never, never make one, if you wish to retain one friend, rather than a number of acquaintances." "The epigram marks the first downward step on the path which leads to continuous afternoon teas," remarked the Philosopher; "but is it not remarkable how long one will last? Not so long as an anecdote, it is true, but, carefully preserved, I have known one to be the sole conversational dependence of a good looking man, for an entire season. The shortness of other people's memories for wit not their own, is the greatest protection your brilliant conversationalist can have." "When in doubt, repeat your epigram, eh?" said the Matron. "Mayn't I help you a little, Miss Watter- son?" asked the Very Young Man. "I think there is a neat thing concerning reigning and The Very Young pouring, somewhere in the back of my mind; but it doesn't seem to adjust itself to the situa tion, so I might lift the kettle or something for you, instead of paying you tactful com pliments. Sometimes, I fear that my brains are very primitive indeed. Has it been like this all the time?" "Oh, quite. Sometimes I have been dread fully afraid that I'd have to answer some of them; but they didn't wait long enough for me to think of the proper thing." "Don't you ever make such a mistake, Miss Watterson. Your clever person prefers to answer himself; just as a professional benuty had rather see herself in the mirror, than an other beauty in the flesh. I am told that the class in conversation is a fad, nowadays. It seems to me that if people really wish to make themselves popular, they will take lessons in listening, instead." "Oh, but listening comes very easy, indeed, when you happen to live with a very clever person, Mr. Sweeting." "It does," sighed the Very Young Man. 62 And the Angel Child "I assure you that since I have been with Tracy, my own voice only sounds natural to me in monosyllables. But for the janitor, I might, in time, forget articulate speech; and then, no doubt, I would become a very popular person among clever conversationalists." "Oh, speaking of Mr. Rafferty, how is the misery in his side?" asked Dolly. "I haven't seen him to-day, and I am anxious to know if the new medicine did him any good." "He says that he got well so soon after be ginning to take it, that he doesn't know, not having given it a fair trial." "Look at Dolly; she's laughing!" cried the Angel Child. "She hasn't laughed once, since I came in; only smiled, like you do, mamma, when papa's friends come to see him and say things that make him laugh so hard, and then, when they are gone, you say, 'What on earth did you see funny in that man's stories?' Don't you like Mr. Tracy's epigrams, Dolly?" "Sweet child," murmured Tracy, to Evelyn ; "what a pity that only the good die young !" "Well, luckily, apartment buildings are not The Very Yo\mg Ma.n like Noah's ark, in one respect, Mr. Tracy ; the specimens are not two of a kind. Think how much worse it would be if he were twins. There is nothing so bad that it might not be worse, except your own troubles, to be sure. Now, I live in the house with a future prima donna. The dear girl, her mother, and her teacher are very sure of her future. Her mother often tells us that we will some day have to pay fabulous sums for tickets to hear her sing." "And shall you do it?" "Perhaps. One can always talk at a con cert, you know. To be sure, I am taking elo cution lessons, myself; but, then, I never prac tise more than six hours a day, so that is a very different matter. I think one should al ways consider the other people who live in the house, don't you? I do, and for that reason I often practice late at night, after they are in bed, or early in the morning, before they are up. I can't say that they appreciate my for bearance, however. Still, my own approving conscience is sufficient reward." 64 And the Angel Child "It is quite enough for most people who in habit apartment or boarding-houses," smiled Tracy. "I suppose so. I am quite sure, at any rate, that none of my neighbors have ever heard me recite, for when I did scenes from 'Romeo and Juliet,' and recited 'The Goblins '11 Git You,' and 'Curfew/ for a charity, not long ago, none of them would even buy a ticket. Wasn't it horrid of them?" "I know a woman who lives in the apart ment house with her own mother-in-law," said the Matron, gloomily. "Life is worth so lit tle to her that she eats rarebit, made by an amateur, at midnight and goes home smil- ing." "All the world loathes a mother-in-law," mused the Philosopher. "I suppose that there must be mothers-in-law who are not family villains " "Just as there are poor and honest plum bers," suggested Tracy. "And polite ticket sellers," added Miss Adams. 65 The Very Yoxing Ma.n "And fairies and brownies," said the Angel Child, thoughtfully. "Dear me, I guess I must be what papa calls an unconscious hu morist, because everybody laughs when I say things. Everybody, that is, but the people I say them to, and I suppose they think it isn't polite to laugh." "Exactly, my dear fellow," said Tracy. "The majority of us had rather laugh at others than with them, you know." "By the way," said Evelyn, suddenly, "have you ever noticed that the person who wears flat-heeled, thick-soled shoes always has a sense of humor?" "While the one who wears high-heeled, paper-soled ones, has none?" said the Matron. "H'm yes, I suppose that is what might be called cause and effect. Ah, well, I am sure that if I had not a sense of the ridiculous, I should be coldly furnishing forth an epitaph at this moment. You see, my husband fell in love with my dimpled hands, and then, when we were married, he was astonished that I could neither cook nor sew !" 66 And the Angel Child "Man is an illogical beast, anyhow you put it," observed the Philosopher. "I've known a man to marry a girl because she was a flirt, and then divorce her for the same reason." "True. Well, he talked so much of his mother's industry, that I decided to emulate it." "So you learned to cook and sew, did you?" asked Belinda. "I I tried, dear. Finally, just as I was developing the utmost originality in the culi nary line, my husband begged me to give it up. He he said that he didn't believe that Lucretia Borgia used secret poisons at all. He was sure that she was merely learning to cook, when all her friends died so suddenly." "And, then you made him a dressing gown, didn't you?" queried the Philosopher, with a far-away look in his eyes. "Why, yes. I did. How did you guess that?" "In all marriages there is what might be termed the Stone Age, which is the stage at which the young husband asks for bread and 67 The Very Young Ma.ni receives an amateur biscuit. The Age of Iron in his soul comes when he must ac tually wear a garment made by the partner of his griefs. But, then, a dressing gown need not really fit, you know," he added sooth ingly. "Harold thought otherwise. He offered to to wear it all through Lent. That made me so angry that I promptly sold it to the ragman, and took the money and went to a matinee." "Which was a good idea, since you were just in the mood to sympathize with the woes of the heroine," observed Evelyn. "I was still more so, when I reached home and found Harold demanding his dressing gown." "I see," sighed the Philosopher; "he had re pented, after he had smoked a really good cigar. I wonder if women will ever learn what a friend tobacco really is ?" "Not until a smokeless cigar has been in vented," said the Matron, promptly. "Har old had not repented, however; he said he was glad the thing was gone, but where had 68 And the Angel Child I put the important business letter he had left in the pocket of it !" "You needn't tell us the rest, unless you choose," sighed Mae; "we need not be seventh daughters to guess what followed." "I won't, then. I will merely add that in consequence of the loss of that letter, he missed a stroke of business which would have netted him a couple of hundred dollars. He he al ways said that he had meant to buy me a diamond with that money." "And you can never, never prove that he did not!" groaned Evelyn. "I cannot. I wouldn't have minded so much, if he had not insisted that it was all my own fault. I can do without diamonds, if I have to, but nobody likes to be told a thing is her fault, you know." "Oh, you poor, poor thing!" cried Mae. "And all because you had taken the trouble to make your husband a dressing gown! I had no idea that men were so unkind." She looked severely at the Very Young Man, who quailed visibly before her glance. 69 The Very Yo\mg Man "Perhaps he may have another stroke of fortune, and buy you the diamond another time," said Dolly, hopefully. "A diamond on the finger is worth two at the jeweler's, dear. It is very sweet of you, though, to be so optimistic about it." "Most people are optimistic concerning the woes of others," said Evelyn, briskly. "Well, after all, the bachelor girl may have fewer diamonds than the married woman," said Belinda, "but she "Is more afraid of burglars?" finished Tracy. "Yes, I've noticed that myself." "Anyhow, it is the men who are burglars," said Miss Adams. "You never heard of a fe male burglar, did you?" "I've often wondered that the bachelor girl is continually calling upon others to notice the joys of her lot," said the Philosopher. "Does she, by any chance, imagine that the mere man fails to envy the creature who can make a home out of a latch-key and a few sofa pillows?" "And who has the courage to go out in a rainy-day dress by day, and a theater hat by 70 And the Angel Child night!" cried Tracy. "Say what you will about Man; he may not be a mouse-fearing animal ; but he quails before such a small thing as public opinion." "I saw a man in a rainy-day dress, all bright plaid, like mamma's, the other day," said the Angel Child, suddenly. "Dolly said he was a Scotchman. I don't see what they are laugh ing at now, mamma, do you ? You always tell me that children must not laugh at grown folks, but grown folks are always laughing at children. Yes, thank you, Dolly; I will have a lump of sugar. I have had several al ready, while you were talking to Mr. Sweet ing. You always seem to agree with Mr. Sweeting, and Miss Belinda always disagrees with Mr. Hardy. I think that is funny, when they are not even related to each other, don't you? Papa says " "It is time to go home, I am sure," said the Matron, hastily. "Well, I know one thing, Dolly; the bachelor girl can make the best tea in creation." "I know that," observed the Philosopher, 71 The Very Young Man "but I can't understand why she gives it to that despised animal, Man !" "The bachelor girl does not despise Man," cried Belinda, hotly; "she she merely looks upon him as a brother." "Then, she is perfectly justified in criticis ing him," said Tracy, smiling. "No man is a hero to his sister, I am sure." "It seems to me that the bachelor girl wants all the privileges of the forum, without re linquishing the ones of the chimney-corner," sighed the Philosopher; "and she usually gets everything she asks. Luckily for the rest of us, she sometimes " "Changes her mind. I know what you are about to say! That is always the last argu ment of a man. Well, if she does change her mind occasionally, that proves nothing!" "Except that she has changed her mind," laughed Tracy, as he made his escape. 72 Chapter IV "Io is dot saloon I vants to know aboudt, Miss Manly," said the janitor's wife. "I hears aboudt it, und I hears aboudt it, und I vants to know vat id is. Is id one of dem saloons mit beer und free lunch, or is id one of dem saloons mit tea und talkings aboudt dings vich nopody understands? I vants to know, because dot Rafferdy, he is nodt veil, und, if I vas again a lonesome vidow, I vants a goot husband again, not? und I dinks maype I likes me to marry a preacher nexdt dime bud if I lives in de house mit a saloon, dot preacher, he mightdn't likes it, eh?" "You are perfectly safe, Mrs. Rafferty," re plied Belinda, smiling. "I am sure that no preacher would object to our salon. If you have any trouble, at any time, in proving your case, you may refer him to me. But I thought Mr. Rafferty was a great deal better. Is he worse again?" "He vas petter yesterday, und he vill pe 73 The Very Young petter to-morrow, I dinks. But Mrs. Wycoff, she vas gomplaining aboudt her gas range, und Miss Adams, she vants her vindows vashed, und he is nodt so veil to-day. Put Mr. Tracy und Mr. Sweetings, dey Vands somedings done in deir fladt, und dey pays so veil, dot I dinks he vill feel petter to-morrow. Bud if you see Mrs. Wycoff und Miss Adams, you mighd tell dem dot he is very pad, indeed, yoost now." And, shaking her head, she started towards the stairs. Belinda halted her, before she had gone many steps. "I can't see, Mrs. Rafferty, why you are so anxious about another husband," she said; "you have already had two, and for my part, I have had none at all, and I get along very well without one." "Dot is yoost id, my tear young ladys; you haf nefer had a husband, und you know nod how useful dey are. For me, I haf got indo dot marrying habid, und I get nod veil along midoud a husband. You are young und hand some, und you haf blendy of friends. Me, I am old und nod pretty I needs some von dot 74 And the Angel Child cannot get away !" And she creaked her way, triumphantly, down the groaning stairs. Belinda stood, absorbed in thought, for some moments, and then Dolly was astonished by a whirlwind which descended, weeping, upon, her, as she sat peacefully at her embroidery. "Oh, Dolly!" Belinda cried, "tell me 'this moment, did you ever, for one single instant, want to marry any of them ?" "To marry any of who?" cried Dolly, re gardless of grammar, in her amazement. "Oh, 'them the poet, the widower, or " "Goosie, of course I didn't want to marry any of them. What has put such a ridiculous idea into your head?" "I I think it was Mrs. Rafferty. She says that a husband is is a very useful thing. She has had two, and she really ought to know better than I, who have had none at all. When she said that, it occurred to me that you might have wanted to marry one of them, and I might have said something to keep you from it." "You said a great many things, if I re- 75 The Very Young Ma.i\ member rightly, dear. However, I did not mind. You know I I never told you about any of them until after they had bothered me a good deal. So " "Oh, you darling, I am so relieved! I thought that perhaps I had been refusing young men for you, when Mercy, Edward! where did you come from?" "I came in at the door, Miss Belinda. You were in suda a hurry to speak to Dolly, that you left it wide open. Do you know, I am afraid your luncheon must have disagreed with you. At least, that is what mamma says when I makes a fuss about anything. Sometimes it seems to me that all the really nice things are unwholesome. When she eats rarebit and things like that, it gives mamma an attack of the nerves. Does temper always get to be nerves, when people are grown up, Dolly?" "It depends upon who has them, with the most of us, I'm afraid, Edward. But why do you ask?" "Oh, nothing, only Mr. Sweeting told Mr. Tracy that he had acted like like some kind 76 And the Angel Child of an idiot I couldn't exac'ly understand what kind at the salon, the other day. Mr. Tracy smiled and said, very politely, 'It seems to me, that your temper hasn't improved, of late, old man.' Then, I guess Mr. Sweeting saw me, and he muttered something about his nerves. Mr. Tracy laughed and said some thing about Her. I suppose he meant Mr. Sweeting's mother, don't you? At any rate, she doesn't approve of smoking, and he is never, never going to smoke another cigar, as long as he lives, though doing without them makes him a little nervous, at first. Why, Dolly, how red your face is! It wasn't so a moment ago; was it, Miss Belinda? What is the matter? You look just as mamma does when I tell company what she has said to papa before they came. It makes mamma feel as if she'd like to go through the floor, but the company never seems to mind. They say I am such an old-fashioned child. I think it is rather hard on mamma to have an old- fashioned child, when she is so particular about the latest styles, don't you ?" 77 The Very Young Ma.n "Very," said Dolly, absently. "No, as I said before, Belinda, I shall never, never want to marry anybody. To live and die a bachelor maid, is the height of my ambition." "Mr. Sweeting is going to be a bachelor, too. He thinks that girls are the silliest tlr'ngs he ever knew he told me so, a long time ago that day that he was packing up the em broidered smoking cap, an' the hand'erchief case, an' all th' photographs, you know. Why, here is Mr. Sweeting now! Come in, do," he cried, with great hospitality; "I was just talking to Dolly about you." "I suppose it is a case of 'save me from my friends/ Miss Watterson," said the Very Young Man, trying to look hopeful. "Isn't Dolly a friend of yours, Mr. Sweet ing? I thought she was. She always laughs when you make a joke, and papa says there is no greater proof of friendship than that. I came up here, because I had spilled your ink over the papers on your desk, and the cloth I used to wipe it up, seemed to have a lot of embroidery on it. I knew that you'd be a 73 And the Angel Child good deal worried, when you found it out; and it's best for people to be alone, when they are worried about anything. I am awfully sorry I did it, but papa says it's no use cry ing about spilled milk, and I guess spilled ink is about the same. I'd rather you wouldn't tell mamma anything about it, though, if \ou please. She has gone shopping, and I was playing war-ship in the bathtub, and the water ran over a good deal. So it is quite damp up there now, and I'm afraid we'll have trouble, as it is, when she gets home." The Very Young Man looked at Dolly and laughed; as for Dolly, her look of sympathy for Mrs. Wycoff melted into smiles and dim ples. Belinda, after an absent-minded sort of greeting for the guest, disappeared; and the easy-chair near Dolly looked very inviting. The Very Young Man forgot that he had a great deal of reading to do that afternoon, as he sank into it. "Now, isn't this jolly?" he cried. "A great deal jollier than when all those people are here. Do you know, Miss Watterson, I flatter myself 79 The Very Yoxing Man that I am a good judge of character, and I think you are the most sympathetic person I ever knew." The shadows grew deeper and deeper, and the gas logs shone like the eyes of a dragon, through the gloom. The Very Young Man was talking to Dolly about his Ideals, and Dolly's few remarks showed the depth of her understanding of them, though their acquaint ance was so recent. He was just explaining, at some length, the influence a true friend, provided that friend was a woman, could ex ercise over a fellow, when Belinda bounced into the room. "Here are you two sitting, and burglars have been all over the place!" she cried. "What!" The Very Young Man was on his feet, looking about him in amazement. "Burglars, Miss Manly! Where are they? "As if I knew!" returned Belinda, hotly. "They forgot to leave their visiting-cards be hind. I went up to see Miss Adams for a mo ment, and I I left the hall door open, think- 80 And the Angel Child ing that a man could at least keep burglars away. Now, I come back, to find that the flat has been looted and you two in the parlor, talking about friendship!" "Are you sure that they are gone?" cried the Very Young Man, as he ran into the next room, followed by Belinda, who pressed a poker, kept for such emergencies, into his un willing hand. In the dining-room and bedrooms, a scene of confusion met his eyes. Drawers and closets were open and their contents scattered everywhere upon the floor; whoever had done the work, had done it thoroughly. No trace of the burglars was found, though Miss Adams, who followed in the wake of the search party, cried hysterically: "Look out; there he comes !" and took to a chair, with her skirts gathered about her, every time a closet door was opened. There was no open win dow, and no fastenings which had been tam pered with, to show the manner of egress adopted by the unwelcome visitors. "They have simply walked out of the front The Very Yo\mg door, as they came in," said Belinda, with the calmness of despair. She sat down and folded her hands helplessly. "And gone upstairs, to hide in my flat, ready to murder me to-night," returned Miss Adams, with the air of one seated on a remote pinnacle of gloom. They both looked reproachfully at the Very Young Man, and lapsed into silence. "If anny wan of yez is afther suspectin' meself, it's twinty certificates of good carack- ter I kin be showin' yez," remarked the jani tor, with an air of unnecessary belligerency. "Oh, Mr. Rafferty, I am sure that no one ever thought of such a thing!" cried Dolly, horrified. Belinda had regained her tongue. "You had nothing to do with it, Mr. Rafferty," she sighed. The Very Young Man again felt her eye upon him, and quailed. "Hadn't we better find out just what is miss ing, Miss Manly?" he suggested. "The police must, of course, be notified at once, and ' "Oh, Mr. Sweeting, you will not leave us And the Angel Child until we are quite sure that they are gone?" Dolly cried. "I shall not leave until you are quite safe, Miss Watterson." He suddenly felt that the situation was not without its mitigations. He took out a pencil and prepared to make a list of missing articles on the back of a letter. "And be sure not to disturb any of the clues," said Miss Adams, with the air of a general; "they will be useful at the trial, you know." "Id is dot bolice I haf sent for alretry," said Mrs. Rafferty, putting her head in at the door, but poised for flight, in case any linger ing burglars appeared. "Haf you de ped looked under, Miss Manly?" she asked, as if with sudden inspira tion. "The beds are both folding ones, Mrs. Raf ferty; they take as long to open as a safe would. If I had kept my valuables in one of them, they would be here now!" "You were going to make a list, you know," hinted Miss Adams. 83 The Very Young "Oh, dear, to think that it is all my fault !" wailed Dolly, wringing her hands. "Don't say that you forgive me, Belinda ; I really don't deserve it." "It is not your fault," said Belinda, firmly; "it all goes to show that Man is a superfluous animal. We have never had burglars before, and the moment Mr. Sweeting comes in, they walk in after him and carry off everything of value." The worm showed faint signs of turning. "If the front door had been locked, or even closed " he began. "Yes, Belinda; you see it was not really his fault," cried Dolly, eagerly. "The door was open, you know." But Belinda was beyond the reach of logic. "How could the door be closed, when he had just come through it?" she demanded. "Of course it couldn't," agreed Miss Adams. "I am surprised at you, Dolly." "Perhaps they they didn't get the things you care for most," suggested the Very Young 84 And the Angel Child Man, after a pause. He was quite unable to say the first things which came into his mind. "Of course they have taken the things I care for most," Belinda said, dolefully; "they al ways do! Oh, Dolly, I wish Mr. Tracy were here. I am sure he would do something." "Or even Mr. Hardy," sighed Miss Adams. "I am quite sure that he would not allow the villains to escape, without making some ef fort." The Very Young Man glanced longingly at the door; then back at Dolly, whose eyes were fixed anxiously upon him. "At any rate, if you make a list of the arti cles, the police may be able to get them back for you," he hinted. Belinda fell to examining the drawers and other receptacles which stood open. She ap proached each one as if it were a tomb. "Oh, my grandfather's candlesticks!" she groaned. "And the spoons which belonged to my great-aunt !" "And your new fur cape, and the solid silver teapot!" wailed Miss Adams. "I suppose it 85 The Very Young Man is in the melting pot now." She evidently re ferred to the teapot, and not to the cape. "Of course it is! And my pearl pin, and the lovely turquoise comb that my sister gave me! I kept them in an old pair of shoes, on the floor of the closet in my room " "The very place an experienced burglar would look for them first," said Miss Adams, with evident relish. "It is not worth while to go to look for them, Belinda ; of course Lhey are gone. Put them down on your list, Mr. Sweeting." "Oh, you poor, poor darling!" cried Dolly. "I can never, never forgive myself!" "I ah, doubt if Miss Manly's possessions have suffered more than your own, Miss Wat- terson," said the Very Young Man, dryly. "Why, I I never once thought of my things! Do you suppose that my new hat is " She never finished the sentence. At that instant Mrs. Wycoff flew into the room, her hat awry and her face a study in distress. "Where is my child?" she cried, wildly. "The burglars have taken him, I know they 86 And the Angel Child have! I've hunted for him everywhere, and they say he was here!" The three women looked at each other, breathless. No one had thought of the child and he was nowhere to be seen. The Matron turned to Belinda. "Where is my child?" she repeated. "I I don't know. He was here, when I left ; he was talking to Mr. Sweeting and " "Then, what have you done with him?" demanded the Matron, wheeling and facing the Very Young Man. "You were here, and I shall hold you responsible for his recover} !" The Very Young Man, looking about him for a place of retreat, stumbled over a huge bundle, which no one had noticed, behind the door, in the confusion. "Hello, here is the silver! Here are all the things!" he called, cheerfully. "It's all right, Miss Manly!" "Don't open it here!" shrieked Miss Adams. "There may be dynamite in it, and no silver at all! I read of a case where bur glars used dynamite, not long ago." 87 The Very Young Ma.i\ "I think they were robbing a bank, not a flat then, Miss Adams," replied the Very .Young Man, meekly. "Anyhow, the silver seems to be here, and " "But what is a little trumpery silver, com pared to my child !" cried Mrs. Wycoff. "Oh, they have left it and taken him instead. I see it as plain as day. Why do you all stand there? Why don't you do something?" "I I'll go for the janitor," said Belinda, meekly. "He must do something, else I shall complain to the agent. Ring the bell, Dolly ; I can't remember whether it is three times for the janitor, or three times for heat, and four Oh, here he is ! Why don't you do something, Mr. Rafferty? If I were a man, I would, and not stand there, staring like like a gar goyle!" "It's th' cellar windows Oi was afther look ing at, Miss, t' see which way th' dirthy blag- gards was afther a-goin', an' how they got in at all, at all," was the dignified reply. "Masther Wycoff is it? An' phat is thot oonder th' lounge, Miss?" 88 And the Angel Child "My child!" cried Mrs. Wycoff, wildly. "Merciful heavens, have they killed him?" She was evidently about to faint, and Dolly put her into the nearest chair, while Miss Adams went for water. It was the Very Young Man who dragged the Angel, Child once more to the light of day. "Hello, old man, what's the matter? Asleep?" he queried, cheerfully. The Angel Child was very dusty and dis heveled, but smiling; he rubbed his eyes with his by no means immaculate fingers. "Why, what's the matter here?" he demanded. "You are not going t' faint, when papa isn't here, are you, mamma? There isn't much harm done in the bathroom; indeed there isn't!'* Mrs. Wycoff cast her consolers right and left, and pounced upon him. "Oh, my darling, to think that they might have stolen you!" she wailed. "I'll never, never let you out of my sight again, until you are twenty-one years old!" "To think that the dear child might have been stolen," said Dolly, to the Very Young The Very Young Ma.n Man. "Oh, I should never have forgiven my self as long as I lived, if he had been." "But we are losing time," said Miss Adams, with a business-like air. "We must examine every possible spot for clues of the burglars, so that when the police come, they will lose no time." "And you had better go carefully through that bundle, Miss Manly," said the Very Young Man; "your valuables may not all be there, and " "That's all right, Miss Manly; they are all there," said the Angel Child, calmly. "There wasn't any real burglars, you know. You see, I got tired of listening to Mr. Sweeting telling Dolly about the influence of Woman, and I didn't want to be home when mamma got there, so I thought I'd play burglar a while, and " "Edward Faversham Wycoff, you naughty boy, do you mean to say that you piled all those things up in a bundle and then crawled under the couch and went to sleep, frightening me 90 Arvd the Angel Child to death?" his mother cried. She had ceased to weep, and sat up very straight. "Why, yes, I did," sobbed the Angel Child; "but I didn't mean any harm ; indeed, I didn't. I played somebody was coming, and hid under the couch, and th' next thing I knew, Mr. Sweeting pulled me out, and you were all here. Why, mamma, what are you doing? I don't want to go home; I want to stay with Dolly. "You shall see what I am going to do, when I have got you upstairs," his mother said, firmly. "Oh, Belinda, I am so glad that your lovely things are safe," cried Dolly. "I am sure that Mr. Sweeting - " "Yes, they are safe by accident," said Belinda, calmly. "If burglars had got in, I am sure that Mr. Sweeting would never have heard them." "Yes, I hope you will be more careful after this, Mr. Sweeting," said Miss Adams. "An other time, the things - " "What's all this?" said a voice from the 91 The Very Young Ma.n doorway. "And which way did the burglars go ? Hello, this looks like Dirty Jim's work 1" The Very Young Man turned, to see two policemen entering the room. Another glance told him that he alone was left to explain the situation. 92 Chapter V "THE person with a pet virtue is a great bore," remarked the Philosopher. "Espe cially when you happen to live in the house with him," he added. "Standing on tiptoe, with ringer on lip, to admire a lofty virtue is all very well, once in a while; but everything grows monotonous, when it is no longer volun tary, but obligatory." "True," said Tracy, thoughtfully. "I have known people who hanged themselves, but I have never known one who was willing to be hanged." "I suppose that we are all more or less prone to look at our virtues through a magnifying glass," remarked the Matron. "A very harmless and often necessary oc cupation, dear lady; still, I consider it unwise to require others to do the same. Well, well, one good thing may be said of vice: it is at least modest concerning its own achievements." 93 The Very Young M