"The Laurence Boy" - Page 24

“Have a good time, dearies,” said Mrs. March’s note, which the sisters read as they went daintily down the walk. “Don’t eat much supper, and come away at eleven, when Hannah comes for you.” 

As the gate clashed behind them, a voice cried from a window: 

A voice indeed they heard, but saw no-one. A voice without a person, from a window somewhere above them cried - “Girls, girls!” Have you both got nice pocket-handkerchiefs?”

Jo was momentarily struck, but chose to answer instead of puzzling out the phenomenon. 

“Yes, yes, spandy nice¹, and Meg has Cologne on hers,” cried Jo to no one in particular, adding, with a laugh, as they went on, “I do believe we would be asked that if we were all running away from an earthquake.”

“It is one of the more aristocratic tastes, and quite proper, for a real lady is always known by neat boots, gloves, and handkerchief,” replied Meg, who had a good many little “aristocratic tastes” of her own.

“Now don’t forget to keep the bad breadth out of sight, Jo. Is my sash right; and does my hair look very bad?” said Meg, as she turned from the glass in Mrs. Gardiner’s dressing-room, after a prolonged prink ². 

“I know I shall forget. If you see me doing anything wrong, you just reminder me by a wink, will you?” returned Jo, giving her collar a twitch and her head a hasty brush. 

“No, winking isn’t lady-like; I’ll lift my eyebrows if anything is wrong, and nod if you are all right. Now hold your shoulders straight, and take short steps, and don’t shake hands if you are introduced to any one, it isn’t the thing.”

“How do you learn all the proper quirks? I never can. Isn’t that music gay?”

Down they went, feeling a trifle timid, for they seldom went to parties, and informal as this little gathering was, it was an event to them. Mrs. Gardiner, a stately old lady, greeted them kindly, albeit weakly, and handed them over to the eldest of her six daughters.³

Meg knew Sallie, and was at her ease very soon; but Jo, who didn’t care much for girls or girlish gossip, stood about with her back carefully against the wall, and felt as much out of place as a colt in a flower-garden. 

Half a dozen jovial lads were talking about skates in another part of the room, and she longed to go and join them, for skating was one of the joys of her life. She telegraphed her wish to Meg, but the eyebrows went up so alarmingly that she dared not stir. 

No one came to talk to her, and one by one the group near her dwindled away, till she was left alone. ⁴

¹ _{Clean and new-ish!}

² _{Prink = primp. (Yes you could have assumed, but I like to get a little “7th Grade lit textbook” down here sometimes.)}

³ _{Not only the Marches poorer than the Gardiners, they don’t even have as many Little Women as them.}

⁴ _{What a nice plot lull you have! Would be a shame if an incident incited in it!}