"Yes, and you should hear Steve play the pipes. He makes 'em skirl likea good one," cried Will from the box, eager to air the accomplishmentsof his race.
"Mac's the fellow to hunt up the old stories and tell us how to dressright, and pick out rousing bits for us to speak and sing," put inGeordie
, saying a good word for the absent Worm.
"And what do you and Will do?" asked Rose of Jamie, who sat beside heras if bound to keep her in sight till the promised gift had been handedover.
"Oh, I'm the little foot-page, and do errands, and Will and Geordie arethe troops when we march, and the stags when we hunt, and the traitorswhen we want to cut any heads off."
"They are very obliging, I'm sure," said Rose, whereat the "utility men"beamed with modest pride and resolved to enact Wallace and Montrose assoon as possible for their cousin's special benefit.
"Let's have a game of tag," cried the Prince, swinging himself up to abeam with a sounding slap on Stevie's shoulder.
Regardless of his gloves, Dandy tore after him, and the rest swarmed inevery direction as if bent on breaking their necks and dislocating theirjoints as rapidly as possible.
It was a new and astonishing spectacle to Rose, fresh from a primboarding-school, and she watched the active lads with breathlessinterest, thinking their antics far superior to those of Mops, the deardeparted monkey.
Will had just covered himself with glory by pitching off a high lofthead first and coming up all right, when Phebe appeared with a cloak,hood, and rubbers, also a message from Aunt Plenty that "Miss Rose wasto come in directly."
"All right; we'll bring her!" answered Archie, issuing some mysteriousorder, which was so promptly obeyed that, before Rose could get out ofthe carriage, the boys had caught hold of the pole and rattled her outof the barn, round the oval and up to the front door with a cheer thatbrought two caps to an upper window, and caused Debby to cry aloud fromthe back porch,
"Them harum-scarum boys will certainly be the death of that delicatelittle creter!"
But the "delicate little creter" seemed all the better for her trip, andran up the steps looking rosy, gay, and dishevelled, to be received withlamentation by Aunt Plenty, who begged her to go and lie down at once.
"Oh, please don't! We have come to tea with our cousin, and we'll be asgood as gold if you'll let us stay, auntie," clamoured the boys, whonot only approved of "our cousin" but had no mind to lose their tea, forAunt Plenty's name but feebly expressed her bountiful nature.
"Well, dears, you can; only be quiet, and let Rose go and take her ironand be made tidy, and then we will see what we can find for supper,"said the old lady as she trotted away, followed by a volley ofdirections for the approaching feast.
"Marmalade for me, auntie."
"Plenty of plum-cake, please."
"Tell Debby to trot out the baked pears."
"I'm your man for lemon-pie, ma'am."
"Do have fritters; Rose will like 'em."
"She'd rather have tarts, I know."
When Rose came down, fifteen minutes later, with every curl smoothed andher most beruffled apron on, she found the boys loafing about the longhall, and paused on the half-way landing to take an observation, fortill now she had not really examined her new-found cousins.
There was a strong family resemblance among them, though some of theyellow heads were darker than others, some of the cheeks brown insteadof rosy, and the ages varied all the way from sixteen-year-old Archieto Jamie, who was ten years younger. None of them were especiallycomely but the Prince, yet all were hearty, happy-looking lads, and Rosedecided that boys were not as dreadful as she had expected to find them.
They were all so characteristically employed that she could not helpsmiling as she looked. Archie and Charlie, evidently great cronies, werepacing up and down, shoulder to shoulder, whistling "Bonnie Dundee"; Macwas reading in a corner, with his book close to his near-sighted eyes;Dandy was arranging his hair before the oval glass in the hat-stand;Geordie and Will investigating the internal economy of the moon-facedclock; and Jamie lay kicking up his heels on the mat at the foot of thestairs, bent on demanding his sweeties the instant Rose appeared.
She guessed his intention, and forestalled his demand by dropping ahandful of sugar-plums down upon him.
At his cry of rapture the other lads looked up and smiled involuntarily,for the little kinswoman standing there above was a winsome sight withher shy, soft eyes, bright hair, and laughing face. The black frockreminded them of her loss, and filled the boyish hearts with a kindlydesire to be good to "our cousin," who had no longer any home but this.
"There she is, as fine as you please," cried Steve, kissing his hand toher.
"Come on, Missy; tea is ready," added the Prince encouragingly.
"I shall take her in." And Archie offered his arm with great dignity, anhonour that made Rose turn as red as a cherry and long to run upstairsagain.
It was a merry supper, and the two elder boys added much to the fun bytormenting the rest with dark hints of some interesting event which wasabout to occur. Something uncommonly fine, they declared it was, butenveloped in the deepest mystery for the present.
"Did I ever see it?" asked Jamie.
"Not to remember it; but Mac and Steve have, and liked it immensely,"answered Archie, thereby causing the two mentioned to neglect Debby'sdelectable fritters for several minutes, while they cudgelled theirbrains.
"Who will have it first?" asked Will, with his mouth full of marmalade.
"Aunt Plenty, I guess."
"When will she have it?" demanded Geordie, bouncing in his seat withimpatience.
"Sometime on Monday."
"Heart alive! what is the boy talking about?" cried the old lady frombehind the tall urn, which left little to be seen but the topmost bow ofher cap.
"Doesn't auntie know?" asked a chorus of voices.
"No; and that's the best of the joke, for she is desperately fond ofit."
"What colour is it?" asked Rose, joining in the fun.
"Blue and brown."
"Is it good to eat?" asked Jamie.
"Some people think so, but I shouldn't like to try it," answeredCharlie, laughing so he split his tea.
"Who does it belong to?" put in Steve.
Archie and the Prince stared at one another rather blankly for a minute,then Archie answered with a twinkle of the eye that made Charlie explodeagain,
"To Grandfather Campbell."
This was a poser, and they gave up the puzzle, though Jamie confidedto Rose that he did not think he could live till Monday without knowingwhat this remarkable thing was.
Soon after tea the Clan departed, singing "All the blue bonnets are overthe border," at the tops of their voices.
"Well, dear, how do you like your cousins?" asked Aunt Plenty, as thelast pony frisked round the corner and the din died away.
"Pretty well, ma'am; but I like Phebe better." An answer which causedAunt Plenty to hold up her hands in despair and trot away to tell sisterPeace that she never should understand that child, and it was a mercyAlec was coming soon to take the responsibility off their hands.
Fatigued by the unusual exertions of the afternoon, Rose curled herselfup in the sofa corner to rest and think about the great mystery, littleguessing that she was to know it first of all.
Right in the middle of her meditations she fell asleep and dreamed shewas at home again in her own little bed. She seemed to wake and see herfather bending over her; to hear him say, "My little Rose"; to answer,"Yes, papa"; and then to feel him take her in his arms and kiss hertenderly. So sweet, so real was the dream, that she started up with acry of joy to find herself in the arms of a brown, bearded man, who heldher close, and whispered in a voice so like her father's that she clungto him involuntarily,
"This is my little girl, and I am Uncle Alec."