Chapter 2--The Clan
Rose scrambled into the china-closet as rapidly as possible, and thererefreshed herself by making faces at Debby, while she settled herplumage and screwed up her courage. Then she crept softly down the halland peeped into the parlor. No one appeared, and all was so still shefelt sure the company was upstairs. So she skipped boldly through thehalf-open folding-doors, to behold on the other side a sight that nearlytook her breath away.
Seven boys stood in a row all ages, all sizes, all yellow-haired andblue-eyed, all in full Scotch costume, and all smiling, nodding, andsaying as with one voice, "How are you, cousin?"
Rose gave a little gasp, and looked wildly about her as if ready to fly,for fear magnified the seven and the room seemed full of boys. Beforeshe could run, however, the tallest lad stepped out of the line, sayingpleasantly,
"Don't be frightened. This is the Clan come to welcome you; and I'm thechief, Archie, at your service."
He held out his hand as he spoke, and Rose timidly put her own into abrown paw, which closed over the white morsel and held it as the chiefcontinued his introductions.
"We came in full rig, for we always turn out in style on grandoccasions. Hope you like it. Now I'll tell you who these chaps are, andthen we shall be all right. This big one is Prince Charlie, Aunt Clara'sboy. She has but one, so he is an extra good one. This old fellow isMac, the bookworm, called Worm for short. This sweet creature is Stevethe Dandy. Look at his gloves and top-knot, if you please. They are AuntJane's lads, and a precious pair you'd better believe. These are theBrats, my brothers, Geordie and Will, and Jamie the Baby. Now, my men,step out and show your manners."
At this command, to Rose's great dismay, six more hands were offered,and it was evident that she was expected to shake them all. It was atrying moment to the bashful child; but, remembering that they were herkinsmen come to welcome her, she tried her best to return the greetingcordially.
This impressive ceremony being over, the Clan broke ranks, and bothrooms instantly appeared to be pervaded with boys. Rose hastily retiredto the shelter of a big chair and sat there watching the invaders andwondering when her aunt would come and rescue her.
As if bound to do their duty manfully, yet rather oppressed by it, eachlad paused beside her chair in his wanderings, made a brief remark,received a still briefer answer, and then sheered off with a relievedexpression.
Archie came first, and, leaning over the chair-back, observed in apaternal tone,
"I'm glad you've come, cousin, and I hope you'll find the Aunt-hillpretty jolly."
"I think I shall."
Mac shook his hair out of his eyes, stumbled over a stool, and askedabruptly,
"Did you bring any books with you?"
"Four boxes full. They are in the library."
Mac vanished from the room, and Steve, striking an attitude whichdisplayed his costume effectively, said with an affable smile,
"We were sorry not to see you last Wednesday. I hope your cold isbetter."
"Yes, thank you." And a smile began to dimple about Rose's mouth, as sheremembered her retreat under the bed-cover.
Feeling that he had been received with distinguished marks of attention,Steve strolled away with his topknot higher than ever, and PrinceCharlie pranced across the room, saying in a free and easy tone,
"Mamma sent her love and hopes you will be well enough to come over fora day next week. It must be desperately dull here for a little thinglike you."
"I'm thirteen and a half, though I do look small," cried Rose,forgetting her shyness in indignation at this insult to her newlyacquired teens.
"Beg pardon, ma'am; never should have guessed it." And Charlie went offwith a laugh, glad to have struck a spark out of his meek cousin.
Geordie and Will came together, two sturdy eleven and twelve yearolders, and, fixing their round blue eyes on Rose, fired off a questionapiece, as if it was a shooting match and she the target.
"Did you bring your monkey?"
"No; he is dead."
"Are you going to have a boat?"
"I hope not."
Here the two, with a right-about-face movement, abruptly marched away,and little Jamie demanded with childish frankness,
"Did you bring me anything nice?"
"Yes, lots of candy," answered Rose, whereupon Jamie ascended into herlap with a sounding kiss and the announcement that he liked her verymuch.
This proceeding rather startled Rose, for the other lads looked andlaughed, and in her confusion she said hastily to the young usurper,
"Did you see the circus go by?"
"When? Where?" cried all the boys in great excitement at once.
"Just before you came. At least I thought it was a circus, for I saw ared and black sort of cart and ever so many little ponies, and--"
She got no farther, for a general shout made her pause suddenly, asArchie explained the joke by saying in the middle of his laugh,
"It was our new dog-cart and the Shetland ponies. You'll never hear thelast of your circus, cousin."
"But there were so many, and they went so fast, and the cart was so veryred," began Rose, trying to explain her mistake.
"Come and see them all!" cried the Prince. And before she knew what washappening, she was borne away to the barn and tumultuously introduced tothree shaggy ponies and the gay new dog-cart.
She had never visited these regions before, and had her doubts as to thepropriety of her being there now, but when she suggested that "Auntiemight not like it," there was a general cry of,
"She told us to amuse you, and we can do it ever so much better out herethan poking round in the house."
"I'm afraid I shall get cold without my sacque," began Rose, who wantedto stay, but felt rather out of her element.
"No, you won't! We'll fix you," cried the lads, as one clapped his capon her head, another tied a rough jacket round her neck by the sleeves,a third neatly smothered her in a carriage blanket, and a fourth threwopen the door of the old barouche that stood there, saying with aflourish,
"Step in, ma'am, and make yourself comfortable while we show you somefun."
So Rose sat in state enjoying herself very much, for the lads proceededto dance a Highland Fling with a spirit and skill that made her clap herhands and laugh as she had not done for weeks.
"How is that, my lassie?" asked the Prince, coming up all flushed andbreathless when the ballet was over.
"It was splendid! I never went to the theatre but once, and the dancingwas not half so pretty as this. What clever boys you must be!" saidRose, smiling upon her kinsmen like a little queen upon her subjects.
"Ah, we're a fine lot, and that is only the beginning of our larks. Wehaven't got the pipes here or we'd,
'Sing for you, play for you A dulcy melody,'"
answered Charlie, looking much elated at her praise.
"I did not know we were Scotch; papa never said anything about it, orseemed to care about Scotland, except to have me sing the old ballads,"said Rose, beginning to feel as if she had left America behind hersomewhere.
"Neither did we till lately. We've been reading Scott's novels, and allof a sudden we remembered that our grandfather was a Scotchman. So wehunted up the old stories, got a bagpipe, put on our plaids, and wentin, heart and soul, for the glory of the Clan. We've been at it sometime now, and it's great fun. Our people like it, and I think we are apretty canny set."
Archie said this from the other coach-step, where he had perched,while the rest climbed up before and behind to join in the chat as theyrested.
"I'm Fitzjames and he's Roderick Dhu, and we'll give you the broadswordcombat some day. It's a great thing, you'd better believe," added thePrince.