In the Mist of the Mountains Part 7

The cause of her flutterings was striding along the red dusty road, Lynn and Max having all they could do to keep up with him.

He, too, had had his moment of disappointment. Lynn had told him there was no other lady in their house but Miss Bibby; and then the figure that had given him some pleasurable emotions an hour ago--the slender white figure that had walked on the path between the flowers--turned out on close view to be merely a thin woman of almost forty, in a floppy puce-coloured muslin gown.

And Lynn was unwittingly merciless to the temporary occupant of her mother's place. When Kinross had asked her if it was Miss Bibby who was up so early and walking among the trees, she volunteered, in addition to the affirmative--which would have been quite enough--that she walked about like that when she was doing some of her deep-breathing exercises.

And that after her deep-breathing exercises she always skipped backwards for five minutes, and after the skipping she lay down flat on the floor and kept lifting up her head in such a funny way.

And of course this led to an account of Miss Bibby's eccentricities of diet, of which Kinross soon knew all that seemed worth knowing. At first he had hardly listened as the irrepressibles chattered away, or he might have bidden them respect the lady's idiosyncrasies. But a sudden image confronted him of the figure in limp muslin, solemnly skipping for the good of her health, and he gave a great roar of laughter and vowed to himself he would use her for "copy" some day.

But now they were at the shops and Lynn and Max were greatly excited.

They pointed out the different places to him.

This was Benson's, and he made the most _delicious_ drop cakes that ever were; they always bought some when they were going for picnics, and gen'ally on a Sat.u.r.day, when Anna had no time to make cakes, they had them again. Hugh was solemnly warned not to be beguiled into dealing with Dunks. Dunks did give, it was true, nine for sixpence; but then Pauline had measured them once with Miss Bibby's tape measure--measured them "longways, and broadways, and fatways," and Benson's had been fully half an inch superior.

These were the two photographers. It was advisable to deal with this one, for he always gave you the whole tray down to choose from when you went to buy picture post-cards, and the other man didn't, 'cause he was afraid your hands were dirty. But they never were when you went for a walk, only Max's sometimes, because he still fell down a lot (this point Max contested hotly).

These were the two shoe-makers: if you broke the strap of your sandals this one could fix it best; but if you wore out your climbing shoes, and wanted a new pair made, it was advisable to patronize this one.

And _these_ were the grocers. Poor old Septimus Smith would have stirred uncomfortably in the dreams that still held him, could he have heard Lynn and Max vigorously advising Burunda's latest stranger never on any pretence whatever to buy as much as half a pound of b.u.t.ter at his establishment.

And Octavius, sleepily sweeping his shop and doing the manifold duties of little Larkin, who was fast nearing the poor selection for his dearly-earned holiday,--Octavius would himself have been amazed at the number of good points his business had. His currants--how _much_ cleaner than the currants of Septimus,--his bacon--words seemed inadequate to describe his bacon. He gave you a whole penny box of chocolates each when you went with Anna to pay his bill. He saved you the tinfoil from his tea-boxes and the lovely paper ribbon off the boxes of raisins.

Hugh heard again about Blanche and Emma and the piano, and the rapt vision of the buying up of both the Smiths, and the future conduct of one grocery business only by a person of the name of Larkin.

"Not another word," he said; "you have more than convinced me that no one who has any regard for his immortal soul would deal anywhere but at Octavius Smith's. Let us go on and swell Larkin's commission at once.

You are probably better up in housekeeping than I am, Lynn,--if I forget any item you must jog my memory. My sister will be quite delighted that we have saved her all this trouble."

Octavius was speedily wide-awake.

He had always liked the Judge's children, and took a special interest in Lynn, who had composed the following song for him:--

"You must deal at the shop of Octave Ius Smith if you're anxious to save.

But into the small shop of Sept We hope that you never have stept."

But this was beyond everything good and thoughtful of the child. And as to Larkin, who had obtained her interest so well--well, the lad should have a "thumping" commission on the order.

The old man's hand began positively to shake as he wrote and wrote at the order.

It was Lynn who suggested everything, with Max occasionally coming in with a brilliant thought like "hundreds and lousands of laspberry jam."

As for instance--soap. "Yes, you will need soap," Lynn said; "how much?

Oh, I think you always order grocery things in half-dozens."

"Half-dozens be it," said Hugh.

"Six bars of soap," wrote Octavius, who was a little deaf, and had not heard the quant.i.ty difficulty. "Six pounds of sago, six tins of curry-powder, y-y-yes, six jars of honey, certainly, six tins of tongue, six tins of asparagus, six pounds of pepper, six clothes pegs. Bacon?

Any favourite brand?"

"Well, all I'm particular about," said Hugh, with a twinkle in his eye, "is that it shall be prime middle cut and elevenpence a pound."

"Just the very thing I make a speciality of!" cried the old man marvelling.

Finally the order was complete; it took two pages of the order book.

Octavius would have to borrow Burunda's one cart to deliver so tremendous an order; the usual thing was for Larkin to carry goods in a basket on horseback.

He would have to go over to his brother Septimus and borrow some things,--asparagus, for instance; he never kept more than two tins at a time of so expensive an article. And pepper--his whole stock of pepper at present was but three pounds!

He bowed his customers out, rubbing his hands together, praising the day, the view--everything. Some enormously wealthy friend of the Judge, without a doubt. Possibly the Premier from some other State--yes, most likely a Premier--who else could want six tins of tongue? Doubtless he was going to entertain the Ministers at a picnic at the waterfall.

"The Premier" came back after he had gone a step or two.

"Look here," he said, "just wrap me up some of that bacon and a few eggs, and I'll take them with me now. We've nothing for breakfast at our house."

Half-way down the hill again, Lynn, speechless with the thought of telling Pauline and m.u.f.fie about her brilliant success, Max, a little depressed--he could never walk before breakfast without feeling very large and hollow inside--Hugh, blandly holding to him the parcel of eggs and bacon, met an unexpected sight--Kate toiling along up the steep grade on her bicycle.

"He-he-he!" giggled Lynn; "look at that funny fat woman on a bicycle."

"It's only a lack bicycle," said Max critically, "mine's led."

The funny fat woman got off in a most agile fas.h.i.+on when they came alongside.

"My _dear_ Hugh!" she said, "and I imagined you still sound asleep. What on earth are you after now?"

"Eggs and bacon," said Hugh promptly, "and you can just come home and fry them for me. Exercise must wait for a more suitable time."

"Exercise!" panted the lady indignantly, "why, I was just killing myself to get up to a store, and buy some b.u.t.ter for your breakfast, I had quite forgotten to bring any."

"We have ordered it," said Hugh--"six pounds of it. My little lady friend here informs me that it is the correct thing to order groceries in half-dozens. I like doing the correct thing, though a doubt did cross my mind as to the advisability of laying in six pounds of pepper."

"Six pounds of pepper! Oh, Hugh, you are joking."

She looked helplessly at Lynn.

But Lynn's sensitive little face was scarlet; she had called this bicycle lady "a funny fat woman," and here she was a friend of this very nice man's.

She did not know whether to gasp out an apology or remain silent. The latter course commended itself, however, to her, as it ever does to children.

"You don't mean to say you have given a grocery order without consulting me, Hugh?" insisted the lady.

"Just a little one to see us over to-day," said Hugh. "Half a dozen ox-tongues, half a dozen bars of soap--I forget the rest. I thought they would come in useful."

"Why, man," cried Kate, "the kitchen is full of packing-cases of groceries that I brought from town. You don't imagine I was going to let you run the risk of inferior things from a country store!"

"It is prime middle cut, I a.s.sure you," said Hugh seriously.

"I am going up to cancel your ridiculous order," said Kate determinedly, preparing to mount. "I shall explain to the storekeeper that you are not responsible for your actions."

"You are going home to fry my bacon," said Hugh, as he whirled her bicycle round; "if you don't I swear I'll sit down here and eat it raw."