Dorothy Dainty's treasure chest

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I The Treasure Chest 9

II Arabella 32

Chapter I

T he living-room at the Stone House looked as if it had been transformed into a museum of rare and costly objects.

Soft silken draperies, filmy laces, fine jade and coral, and many wonderfully carved pieces made a collection which any one would have been proud to possess. Mr. Dainty had described these lovely things that he had purchased, and the entire household had been impatiently waiting for them to arrive.

Isn’t that soft yellow satin beautiful?” Nancy whispered, and Aunt Charlotte heard, and replied, ‘‘That is a Turkish satin, Nancy” she said, “and its luster is almost like metal.”

“And see these lovely strings of beads, coral, and green, such a lovely green!” Nancy said.

“The green jade beads are for Dorothy, and the red coral for you, Nancy,” said Mr. Dainty who had just come in from the porch.

“That very beautiful carved chair, and the feather fan with carved sticks, now lying on the seat of the chair, I chose especially for you, dear,” Mr. Dainty said, turning toward his wife.

“Oh, Rudolph, nothing could better please me,” she said.

“I didn’t forget you. Aunt Charlotte.”

As he spoke, Mr. Dainty laid a soft blue

THE TREASVRE CHEST silk shawl around Aunt Charlotte’s shoulders. It was embroidered with roses in natural colors, and edged with fringe fully a half-yard deep.

‘‘And here is the little treasure chest, Dorothy that I tried to describe to you. Do you remember that I said it was beautifully carved and inlaid? Tell me, dear, does it look as you thought it would?”

“Yes, it truly does, only it is much handsomer than I dreamed. You told me of the pretty pattern of its carving, and the quaint old metal clasp, but it is more wonderful than I thought. Father, is it to be mine?”

“Surely, Dorothy^ I chose it, believing that you would like to have it for your own. ”

“I can’t tell you how dear it is,” said Dorothy.

“Come, Nancy, let’s get Flossie Barnet, and Molly Merton over here to see it.

Only yesterday I was trying to tell Flossie how fine it was to be, but I^d not seen it then, and I had to try to repeat what Father had said.”

‘‘You may surely ask Flossie and Molly over to see the pretty little chest, but wait, dear, until we have arranged some of the lovely things, so that they can all be seen,” Mr. Dainty said.

“It is so hard to wait to show my gift,” Dorothy said, slowly.

“Could we take the little chest out on the lawn?” Nancy asked, eagerly.

“Oh, yes, and have Molly and Flossie over to see it, instead of waiting?” Dorothy asked, and Mrs. Dainty smiled at the eagerness in her voice.

“Surely you may, if you wish,” she said, and Dorothy and Nancy rushed out on the

THE TREA8VRE CHEST porch, calling to the gardener who was tramping along the walk, a rake over his shoulder.

^^Oh, John, do be dear, and take this out on the lawn for me*?” cried Dorothy.

Sure Oi will. Miss Dorothy, or to South Ameriky, ef yez ax me,” John replied.

‘^Oh, is it this featherweight trunk yez want tooken out?” he asked.

‘^Sure, I fought Oi’d hav ter ax the groom ter come over from the other end of the garden ter help me, fer Oi’d niver darest ter ax the butler,” said John.

‘‘Why are you afraid of the butler?” Dorothy asked.

“Because he looks at me thot quare-loike, as if he fought me a bug of some kind thot belonged in the gar ding, and oughtn’t ter come oufn it,” was the droll reply.

‘'Oh, but Dorothy thinks you are just kind and good and dear,’’ said Nancy, “and so do 1.”

“Bless yer dear little hearts,” said John, “an’ Oi’d rather hov the love of the childer thon the foine regard of the butler ony day, regardless of his grandeur.”

“The butler is good, too,” Dorothy said quickly.

“An’ ye’d shpake a good word for any one on the place,” said John. “No wonder we all love yez,” and he walked away, a twinkle in his kindly eyes, and a wee bit of moisture, too.

Dorothy and Nancy sat down to admire the lovely inlaid work, and carving.

There were bits of rainbow-tinted pearl, tiny diamond-shaped pieces of silver, and many different kinds of wood, all inlaid in a wonderfully charming design.

Dorothy bent to study it closely, while Nancy leaned forward to examine the quaint lock. A second later Dorothy sprang to her feet.

‘■‘Oh, we’ll not have to call for them. J ust listen, N ancy ! They ’re coming ! ’ ’ cried Dorothy. “I hear them!”

Nancy, looking up at Dorothy saw the eager light in her blue eyes.

Dorothy pointed toward the porch, and there, sure enough, stood Molly and Flossie.

“Come on over here,” cried Nancy, and down the steps and over the lawn they raced.

“Oh, the lovely, lovely colors!” cried Flossie.

“What will you keep in it?” questioned Molly.

Molly always wished to know the use of any object that she admired.

“I don’t know yet,” Dorothy said, “but

Father says it is an antique treasure chest, and that some great lady owned it and kept her jewels in it, so I think I’ll put only things that I care most for in it. I mean those things that I would least like to lose.”

“Do you know the first thing that you will put in it^” Flossie asked.

“I think I do,” Dorothy said, “but I’m not quite sure, yet.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know about the great lady who owned it?” Flossie asked, adding, “and what her name was and where she lived?”

“And what she kept in it?” Molly added.

“My father knows her name, and all about her, and he said when all the beautiful things had been unpacked, and places chosen for them, he would tell me all about the wonderful little chest,” said Dorothy.

THE TREA8VBE CHEST

‘‘Well, I’m just wild to hear it,’’ said Flossie.

A few days later Mr. Dainty was sitting on the porch, reading a very old-looking leather-bound book, when around the corner of the house came Dorothy, Nancy, Molly, Flossie, and Katie Dean.

They had been running races, and now were glad to pause for a rest.

“Oh, such a run!” cried Molly, “I’m all out of breath.”

“The one least tired ought to tell a story while the others listen,” declared Nancy.

“Then it must be your turn. Father dear,” Dorothy said, leaning lovingly against him, as if to coax.

“You’re a group of breathless little racers,” said Mr. Dainty, “so as I’ve not been running. I’ll agree to tell a story, and

18 DOROTHY DAlNTY^S TREASURE CHEST

it shall be the story of Lady Mary Anne Augusta, daughter of Lord Lengton, of Lengton Castle, situated in a picturesque part of England. Lord Lengton was a great land-owner, and the possessor of the now famous ‘Treasure Chest.’

“Little Lady Mary’s mother was frail and did not live to see her lovely baby, having died when it was born, and Lord Lengton ’s sister. Lady Uffingwell, came at once to the castle to care for the wee baby, that is, more properly speaking to see that others cared for it, for the castle boasted sixty servants, among them two nurses for tiny Lady Mary.

“As soon as she was old enough to study, a number of tutors were engaged. There were languages to be studied, and the little girl thought it very tedious to be obliged to learn to speak and write Italian and

THE TREA8VBE CHEST

French, to be trained to play the harp, to spend long hours at an embroidery frame, to listen to the dapper little Frenchman, who was a master of the art of dancing of that time, while he described the figures of the stately minuet, and then sharply criticised her least error.

^‘Thus were her days closely occupied, with but little time for play, for often when the lessons were over for the day, and the books laid aside, her pony was at the door, led by her riding-master, mounted upon one of Lord Lengton’s horses, and behind her he rode, constantly calling to her, to, ‘Sit erect,’ ‘Hold the lines closer to the saddle,’ or, ‘Look out for thy elbows. Lady Mary. Keep them close to the side,’

“It is recorded that one sunny day the little girl snatched the opportunity, when her teacher drew rein that he might watch the pheasants over in the field, and touching her pony smartly with her riding-crop, she dashed away, looking over her shoulder to laugh, but not even attempting to lessen her speed.

‘‘Of course the riding instructor complained to Lord Lengton that he could not teach the small girl, if instead of listening she rode away laughing, and Lord Lengton sent for his little daughter.

“Quietly she listened while he talked, but he was not at all sure that she intended doing better, until he showed her a little treasure chest. ‘Now, little daughter,’ he said, ‘each day that thy work is praised by thy teachers, thou shalt write, “Good,” on a slip of paper, and drop it into this chest. Also on each day that thou art reproved for idleness, or error, “Bad” must thou write on a bit of paper, and drop that, also, in the chest. At the end of the month we’ll take the slips of paper out and see if there be more ‘ ‘ good ’ ’ than ^ ‘ bad ’ ’ ones. ’

‘^The little girl thought that would be great fun, and resolved to have many ‘good’ ones for the next month. She remembered that three times she had hidden in a little tower room of the castle, in order that she night avoid her French lesson. She thought of her impatience when her silks had become knotted while she sat at her embroidery frame, and she had twitched them so that the knots had pulled tighter than before. Now that she had the lovely chest, she felt that she must honor it by tossing into it many, many papers clearly marked ; ‘Good.’ ”

“And did she?” Dorothy asked eagerly, her eyes bright with interest.

“She did, indeed,” Mr. Dainty said, “and she made a finer record than she had ever dreamed of, for she had thought only of careful doing of her daily tasks, and of pleasing her tutors, and her father.

‘‘A few weeks after the day on which her father had talked with her, she was playing in the garden, when two cavaliers rode up to the gateway, and shouted to the man who was trimming the shrubbery :

‘Gro up to the castle, my man, and tell thy master he has visitors!’ cried the foremost of the two riders.

‘‘ ‘That I cannot do, for my lord is not at the castle,’ the servant replied.

“ ‘And if not at the castle, where is he? Speak up now, for we are not over patient, ’ shouted the cavalier, ‘and do thou open the gates that we may ride up to the castle door. ’

^‘Little Lady Mary knew that her father

THE TREASVRE CHEST was at home, and with her heart beating fast, she ran from behind the high hedge where she had been listening, and up the stairway to the library where she believed that Lord Lengton was reading.

^Father,’ she cried, as she ran to him, Hhere are two bold soldiers at the gates, and old Adrian did not mean to let them enter, but even now they are riding up to the door. Adrian said, ‘^My lord is not at the castle,’’ and oh, I believe he knows they are bad men!’

‘‘ ‘I know who they must be, and they are traitors to our king. Take this folded parchment, and hide it among thy toys in the nursery. Soldiers would never look there for anything of value. ’

‘But, Father, will they be angry when they find that Adrian lied to them? Will they do thee harm?’

‘Be brave, little daughter, and remember that thou art the child of Lord Lengton. Do not show any terror, but seem to be happily at play with the dolls in the nursery. I shall hide in the secret chamber, and if they find me, which I greatly .doubt, they will not find, upon my person, the king’s papers that must be guarded. Hide them well. Lady Mary, and be thou bra^e!’

“ ‘I will, Father,’ the little girl said, as firmly as an older person might have spoken.

“Just as Lord Lengton left the nursery, a maid entered.

“ ‘Oh, the ruffians!’ she cried. ‘They be down in my lord’s study even now, and they be pulling down tapestries, never minding if they tear them, so they can find what they’re hunting for, and who knows what that mav be?’

THE TBEASVBE CHEST

‘‘ ‘Hush, Hilda !’ cried the little girl, ‘they must not think us frightened, my father said so. He is in hiding, and this packet I must hide for him. Quick, get me the old cloth bag that I keep dolls’ clothes in. In the bottom of the bag I’ll hide the packet, pile all the dolls’ clothes back into the bag, and stuff a doll on top, for good measure.’

When the cloth bag was refilled, and thrown carelessly upon the nursery fioor among a litter of toys, no one would have dreamed of looking there for anything of value.

“ ‘Now get me a frock that belongs to the gardener’s little girl, and oh, be quick, make haste, I beg.’

“When the puzzled maid returned with the coarse little dress, the little Lady Mary lost no time in slipping out of hei"

26 DOROTHY DAINTY’8 TREASURE CHEST

beautiful dress, and into the coarse frock of the gardener’s child.

‘Take the ribbon from my hair, and tousle my curls so I may look unkempt. ’

“The maid, still wondering, did as she was bid.

“ ‘Lady Mary!’ she gasped, ‘thou lookest, mayhap, like a servant’s child!’

“ ‘That’s what I wish,’ replied Lady Mary, ‘for if I am thought to be a servant’s child. I’ll surely be too shy to dare to answer, if they try to question me. Let them think I am thy little girl, Hilda, and if they speak to me. I’ll not answer as I should, but look down at my shoes, and drop a courtesy, but utter never a word. My shaking voice would betray my terror, but in this garb, they’ll not wonder that I speak not.’

“And now heavy boots were tramping along the gallery, and in a few moments the portieres were rudely pushed aside, and the two cavaliers strode in. They turned to Hilda.

^By my faith, this is a nursery, and art thou the nurse?’ said one.

‘‘Hilda’s knees were shaking, and well she knew that her voice would shake as well, so she simpered, and courtesied, and twisted the corner of her apron, making no answer.

“ ‘Does this unkempt urchin belong to thee?’ questioned the younger of the two men.

“Hilda made another courtesy, but not a word came from her lips.

“ ‘Know’st thou if it be true that thy master, Lord Lengton, is away from the castle, or if he be in hiding? Speak, lass, unless thou be too simple for speech.’

‘If they think me but a poor fool, all the better,’ thought Hilda, still twisting her apron, and grinning.

“ ‘Try the little one,’ said the man who had been speaking, to his companion.

“ ‘How about thee, little lass? Canst answer better than thy stupid mother?’

“Lady Mary, sitting on the floor, and building houses with some blocks, might have been deaf, for all the heed she paid to her questioner. The soldier stooped and roughly grasped her arm. Lady Mary let him set her upon her feet.

“ ‘Now then, child, hast seen the little Lady Mary hereabouts?’

“She stared at him, but said naught.

“ ‘By my faith! Both the mother and child are but dunderheads, so why waste time on the stupid pair?’

“But the man persisted.

‘If not given to speech, wag thy head, yes or no, when I question thee.

“ ‘Now, hast seen Lady Mary this day, or hast seen her father, Lord Lengton? Wag thy pate, child. Yes or no?’

“Lady Mary peeping through her tangled locks, smiled again, and ducked for a courtesy, as the servant’s own child would have done, but made no answer.

“‘Come, come!’ said the other cavalier, ‘I’m not a patient waiter. Have done with trying to work an empty well. These two have not so much as a half a brain between them, and if Lord Lengton hires such dummies for servants, he can’t be bright enough, himself, to have been given charge of papers valued by the king. It’s plain to me that Lord Lengton is not the man, and we’ve been wasting precious time bunting through the wrong castle.’

^ Could it be Castle Tremayne that was meant in the message that was sent to us

‘I know not/ replied the other ^but this I know. WeVe searched thoroughly here, and neither the papers nor the lord of the castle are here, so let’s be off, and on our way to Castle Tremayne, and may we have better luck,’ •and with that the two men strode out into the hall, and soon they were cantering down the avenue, their hoof -beats making merry music for Lady Mary’s ears. Lord Lengton, from a loophole in the secret tower chamber, saw them depart, and watched until he saw that they were well on their way to Tremayne Castle, before he left his hiding-place. Then he ordered his own horse to be saddled and bridled, and calling upon two of his faithful retainers to act as a body-guard, he rode forth, in an opposite

THE TREASVBE CHEST direction, to carry the precious parchment to his king.

‘‘Lord Lengton was praised, after being richly rewarded by the king for the safe delivery of the precious papers, and was ordered to bring the little Lady Mary to the palace, ‘I would know the little Lady Mary, for never have I heard of so clever, so brave a little lass,’ said the king.

“ ‘She shall be the wee guest of her king and queen, there shall be a festival in her honor, -and in the midst of the festivities, her father shall learn of a greater reward for priceless service than mere words of his grateful king.’ ”

Chapter II

F oe a long time the little friends sat talking of the little girl who had been so brave, for the story of Lady Mary had greatly pleased them.

Mr. Dainty had told them that later, when she had grown to be a tall young girl, she kept her jewels in the Treasure Chest.

From talking of Lady Mary, they began to talk of schoolmates, and to wonder which would have been so brave, or so quickwitted to think of posing as a bashful child.

know who would be least likely, and that is Arabella,” said Molly.

^‘She might be brave,’’ said Katie ‘‘but she’s slow to think.”

“And slow to speak,” Molly said.

“Maybe she’s quick at something,” Flossie Barnet said. Flossie always tried to say something good of every one.

While they were talking of her, Arabella was showing her slow wit, and Jack Tiverton was amused.

“Say it again. Jack,” she was saying; “It may be I know what you mean, but I’m not sure.”

Jack looked over his shoulder as he ran along the avenue, and laughed as he repeated what he had said.

“I said that any one could find Mayfiowers over in Fasten ’s woods, by just walking over there, and staying long enough.”

“But it’s only March,” objected Arabella,

‘‘they don’t blossom as early as that, Jack Tiverton!” Jack turned again, laughing as before.

“It’s true,” he said, with an impish grin, “It’s really true.”’ Arabella stood looking after him, and long after he was out of sight she still stood there thinking of what he had said.

“What was he laughing at?” she said, softly. “He said it was true, so why did he grin?”

There was no one near to answer and after a moment, she turned and walked toward home. She was thinking of a number of things that she wished to do, when Aunt Matilda’s sharp eyes would not be watching her. Not one of the things of which she was thinking was naughty, but Aunt Matilda had a habit of objecting to whatever Arabella thought of doing, whether it was naughty or not, so Arabella had to be cautious. When she reached the side porch, she met Aunt Matilda, who was going out.

“I’m going over to Mrs. Walden’s,” she said, “and I’ve been waiting for you to come, so you could go with me if you want to.”

“Well, I’m sure I don^t want to,” Arabella said stoutly.

^ ‘ Grood land ! Why do you talk like that ? The last time I took you there you were wild over the cat and kittens you saw there.”

“I know it,” Arabella said, “but all the time I was playing with them, I couldn’t help hearing her tell about so many aches and pains, that before I knew it I began to ache, too.”

“What nonsense! You couldn’t ache

36 DOROTHY DAINTY'S TBEASTJBE CHEST

just from hearing what she said,” Aunt Matilda said as she took a firm hold on Arabella ’s arm, and peered into her face.

‘^Well, I did ache, and I wonder you didn’t ache, too, for she told about a bunion on her foot, and a pain in her nose, and she said her back was lame, and she thought she had ‘rheumatiz’ in her elbow, and she said she had earache all night, and then she said her mouth was so sore that she couldn’t talk, and she said it after telling all that, too.”

Mercy sakes, Arabella! How did you remember all that?”

Aunt Matilda looked amazed.

“She told it over as much as twenty times,” Arabella drawled, “and I thought then I’d never go there again.”

“Does sound sort of dull,” said Aunt Matilda, “I guess you needn’t go, if you don’t want to.”

Arabella knew that that call would be a long one, so she would have plenty of time to do what she had planned.

She took a warm cloak, and a small hat from the closet in the hall, and then went through the house to the woodshed, where she found a basket.

She paused for a moment before putting on the cloak.

‘^Jack said any one could find them by walking over there and staying long enough. I might get hungry. I’m some hungry now, so I’ll just take a bit of lunch along. ”

A moment later she was wondering where Aunt Matilda had put food, so hidden that it could not be found.

Some cookies, a doughnut, and an apple went into her basket.

She knew that there must be cake somewhere in the closet, but the moments were flying, and she thought best to be on the way to Faston’s woods. She had been there once at a picnic party, and she remembered vaguely that she left the road, and crossed a fleld, climbed over a low wall, went across another fleld and she was not quite sure whether she would then have reached the woodland, or if, instead, there were more flelds to cross.

She set out alone, because she wished to be the flrst to And the Mayflowers.

It proved to be a longer walk than she had thought, and after crossing two small flelds, and clambering over two low stone walls, crossing a tiny brook that she surely did not remember having seen on the day of the picnic, she came to a little grove that seemed too small to be called a wood.

Arabella stopped and looked doubtfully at the trees.

Seems to me that’s a skimpy-looking piece of woodland,” she drawled, but there was no one there to accept or dispute what she said, and she walked over to the nearest tree, and seating herself on the dry moss, she ate her lunch.

Funny where Aunt Matilda hid the cake,” she muttered, when she had eaten the last bit, and had shaken the crumbs from her basket.

“That lunch seemed even smaller than I thought it was,” she said, as she rose, and looked about her.

It was evident, at a glance, that no Mayflowers had been so bold as to open any of their fragrant blossoms in so uninviting a place.

“I’d know better than even to look for them here,” said Arabella, and she tramped on through the grove, coming out into a little open spot where the sun lay and there beyond was actual woodland.

‘ ‘ There ! That must be Fasten ’s woods ! ’ ’ she cried, and hastened forward, entering the bit of forest, convinced that she had reached the place where Mayflowers were to be found. Now the search began.

Down on her knees she quickly dropped, and began pushing aside dry leaves, and dryer moss, working her way along upon her knees, as she continued to hunt for the pink blossoms.

So intent was she upon flnding them, that she took no heed, as to direction in which she was going, nor did it occur to her to wonder how far she had progressed, until after long searching, she realized that her shoulders were aching, and her knees decidedly tired.

She rose, stiffly, and looked about her, and she was astonished to find that she had been travelling in such a direction that there were unfamiliar things all about her.

That immense tree, with such a great hole in its trunk, — surely she had not noticed that. A big stump, cut almost to the ground, and nearly covered with queer, shell-like fungus, — that was something that she had not seen, and as she turned a great ledge confronted her. She stared at it.

^‘Well, I never saw that ledge before, and as big as it is, I don^t see how I could help seeing it!” she cried.

She did not realize that she had not once looked up, since she had dropped to her knees and commenced her search for the sweet flowers that Jack Tiverton had said might be found there.

She looked about her and for the first

42 DOROTHY DAlNTY^S TREA8VBE CHEST

time felt the loneliness of the forest. She wondered why it seemed darker than when she had first entered the woods.

She did not dream how long she had been there, and one thing she did not know, was that the sky that had been blue was now overcast, and heavy clouds were rolling up. Now and then a big raindrop fell, and it looked as if at any moment a downpour might be expected.

^‘I’m going home, and I’ll come over another day, and I ’ll make Leander come with me,” she thought.

She had no idea of which way to turn, in order that she might be sure that she was going toward home.

The ledge had many crevices and projections and half-way toward the top a shell-like piece of stone looked as if designed for a cosy little seat.

Arabella was just thinking that the next time that she came to the place, she would climb up there, and sit on that little shelving bit of rock, when down came the rain, and without stopping to think, she clambered to that little seat. Drawing her cloak about her, she cowered there, the overhanging top of the ledge acting as a very small umbrella. It kept off some of the downpour. She had climbed up there by getting a foothold wherever a bit of stone projected, and she now perched there, wondering when the shower would be over, but wondering still more how she would get down.

Arabella was always ready to climb to any height, but she never liked getting down.

A terrific crash of thunder made her cry out in terror, and clasping her hands around her knees, she braced herself, as if she feared the thunder might unseat her. Her small

44 DOROTHY DAINTY’S TEEASVRE CHEST

hat-brim was fringed with the pouring rain, and a hollow at the base of the ledge was full of water. She wondered why Leander didn’t come for her. She thought he really might. She thought Aunt Matilda ought to have sent him for her long ago. She told herself that she was being neglected.

Never once did it occur to Arabella that no one at home had the least idea where she had gone. At the very time that she was thinking that Leander ought to come for her, he was searching all over the town for her.

And when later he did find her, it was just a happening. He had gone over a roundabout course, and finally arrived at the big tract of woodland.

He had left home and gone quite around the town, and he now stood at that part of the woodland that was farthest from his home.

Clasping her hands about her knees, she braced herself

^if

-w

‘‘It’ll be nice and wet in the woods,” he said half aloud, “but the shortest way home is to cut right through them, and that’s what I’U do!”

He plunged in under dripping branches, and had walked but a short distance when, hearing his name called, he stopped in the middle of the path and gazed about him.