Seventeen [16]
all the while he was conscious of her solemn and inscrutable gaze fixed upon him; and she spoke not once. She could not have rendered herself more annoying, especially as William was trying to treat her with silent scorn, for nothing is more irksome to the muscles of the face than silent scorn, when there is no means of showing it except by the expression. On the other hand, Jane's inscrutability gave her no discomfort whatever. In fact, inscrutability is about the most comfortable expression that a person can wear, though the truth is that just now Jane was not really inscrutable at all.
She was merely looking at William and thinking of Mr. Parcher.
IX
LITTLE SISTERS HAVE BIG EARS
The confidential talk between mother and daughter at noon was not the last to take place that day. At nightfall--eight o'clock in this pleasant season--Jane was saying her prayers beside her bed, while her mother stood close by, waiting to put out the light.
``An' bless mamma and papa an'--'' Jane murmured, coming to a pause. ``An'--an' bless Willie,'' she added, with a little reluctance.
``Go on, dear,'' said her mother. ``You haven't finished.''
``I know it, mamma,'' Jane looked up to say. ``I was just thinkin' a minute. I want to tell you about somep'm.''
``Finish your prayers first, Jane.''
Jane obeyed with a swiftness in which there was no intentional irreverence. Then she jumped into bed and began a fresh revelation.
``It's about papa's clo'es, mamma.''
``What clothes of papa's? What do you mean, Jane?'' asked Mrs. Baxter, puzzled.
``The ones you couldn't find. The ones you been lookin' for 'most every day.''
``You mean papa's evening clothes?''
``Yes'm,'' said Jane. ``Willie's got 'em on.''
``What!''
``Yes, he has!'' Jane assured her with emphasis. ``I bet you he's had 'em on every single evening since Miss Pratt came to visit the Parchers! Anyway, he's got 'em on now, 'cause I saw 'em.''
Mrs. Baxter bit her lip and frowned. ``Are you sure, Jane?''
``Yes'm. I saw him in 'em.''
``How?''
``Well, I was in my bare feet after I got undressed--before you came up-stairs--mamma, an' I was kind of walkin' around in the hall--''
``You shouldn't do that, Jane.''
``No'm. An' I heard Willie say somep'm kind of to himself, or like deckamation. He was inside his room, but the door wasn't quite shut. He started out once, but he went back for somep'm an' forgot to, I guess. Anyway, I thought I better look an' see what was goin' on, mamma. So I just kind of peeked in--''
``But you shouldn't do that, dear,'' Mrs. Baxter said, musingly. ``It isn't really quite honorable.''
``No'm. Well, what you think he was do- in'?'' (Here Jane's voice betrayed excitement and so did her eyes.) ``He was standin' up there in papa's clo'es before the lookin'-glass, an' first he'd lean his head over on one side, an' then he'd lean it over on the other side, an' then he'd bark, mamma.''
``He'd what?''
`Yes'm!'' said Jane. ``He'd give a little, teeny BARK, mamma--kind of like a puppy, mamma.''
``What?'' cried Mrs. Baxter.
``Yes'm, he did!'' Jane asserted. ``He did it four or five times. First he'd lean his head way over on his shoulder like this--look, mamma!-- an' then he'd lean it way over the other shoulder, an' every time he'd do it he'd bark. `Berp- werp!' he'd say, mamma, just like that, only not loud at all. He said, `Berp-werp! BERP-WERP- WERP!' You could tell he meant it for barkin', but it wasn't very good, mamma. What you think he meant, mamma?''
``Heaven knows!'' murmured the astonished mother.
``An' then,'' Jane continued, ``he quit barkin' all of a sudden, an' didn't lean his head over any more, an' commenced actin' kind of solemn, an' kind of whispered to himself. I think he was kind of pretendin' he was talkin' to Miss Pratt, or at a party, maybe. Anyways, he spoke out loud after while not just exactly LOUD, I mean, but anyway so's 't I could hear what he said. Mamma--he said, `Oh, my baby-talk lady!' just like that, mamma. Listen,
She was merely looking at William and thinking of Mr. Parcher.
IX
LITTLE SISTERS HAVE BIG EARS
The confidential talk between mother and daughter at noon was not the last to take place that day. At nightfall--eight o'clock in this pleasant season--Jane was saying her prayers beside her bed, while her mother stood close by, waiting to put out the light.
``An' bless mamma and papa an'--'' Jane murmured, coming to a pause. ``An'--an' bless Willie,'' she added, with a little reluctance.
``Go on, dear,'' said her mother. ``You haven't finished.''
``I know it, mamma,'' Jane looked up to say. ``I was just thinkin' a minute. I want to tell you about somep'm.''
``Finish your prayers first, Jane.''
Jane obeyed with a swiftness in which there was no intentional irreverence. Then she jumped into bed and began a fresh revelation.
``It's about papa's clo'es, mamma.''
``What clothes of papa's? What do you mean, Jane?'' asked Mrs. Baxter, puzzled.
``The ones you couldn't find. The ones you been lookin' for 'most every day.''
``You mean papa's evening clothes?''
``Yes'm,'' said Jane. ``Willie's got 'em on.''
``What!''
``Yes, he has!'' Jane assured her with emphasis. ``I bet you he's had 'em on every single evening since Miss Pratt came to visit the Parchers! Anyway, he's got 'em on now, 'cause I saw 'em.''
Mrs. Baxter bit her lip and frowned. ``Are you sure, Jane?''
``Yes'm. I saw him in 'em.''
``How?''
``Well, I was in my bare feet after I got undressed--before you came up-stairs--mamma, an' I was kind of walkin' around in the hall--''
``You shouldn't do that, Jane.''
``No'm. An' I heard Willie say somep'm kind of to himself, or like deckamation. He was inside his room, but the door wasn't quite shut. He started out once, but he went back for somep'm an' forgot to, I guess. Anyway, I thought I better look an' see what was goin' on, mamma. So I just kind of peeked in--''
``But you shouldn't do that, dear,'' Mrs. Baxter said, musingly. ``It isn't really quite honorable.''
``No'm. Well, what you think he was do- in'?'' (Here Jane's voice betrayed excitement and so did her eyes.) ``He was standin' up there in papa's clo'es before the lookin'-glass, an' first he'd lean his head over on one side, an' then he'd lean it over on the other side, an' then he'd bark, mamma.''
``He'd what?''
`Yes'm!'' said Jane. ``He'd give a little, teeny BARK, mamma--kind of like a puppy, mamma.''
``What?'' cried Mrs. Baxter.
``Yes'm, he did!'' Jane asserted. ``He did it four or five times. First he'd lean his head way over on his shoulder like this--look, mamma!-- an' then he'd lean it way over the other shoulder, an' every time he'd do it he'd bark. `Berp- werp!' he'd say, mamma, just like that, only not loud at all. He said, `Berp-werp! BERP-WERP- WERP!' You could tell he meant it for barkin', but it wasn't very good, mamma. What you think he meant, mamma?''
``Heaven knows!'' murmured the astonished mother.
``An' then,'' Jane continued, ``he quit barkin' all of a sudden, an' didn't lean his head over any more, an' commenced actin' kind of solemn, an' kind of whispered to himself. I think he was kind of pretendin' he was talkin' to Miss Pratt, or at a party, maybe. Anyways, he spoke out loud after while not just exactly LOUD, I mean, but anyway so's 't I could hear what he said. Mamma--he said, `Oh, my baby-talk lady!' just like that, mamma. Listen,