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11 Rattle and the Girl
Return
As Mrs. Yum had come with the new arrivals, she fell into the arms of her sister, Mrs. Scrumptious, and was able to gather herself together only when informed that a fine dinner was ready for the newcomers. Scrumptious had seemed almost too glad to see Mattie and Bessie and when asked how she did, responded with a eulogy on the potatoes of the region. Bess smiled and nodded and thought of other things, but Mattie noted the fear behind the chatter and told her that they were here to stay and not to be troubled. So they dined and chatted and admired the puppies and praised Louisa and the count. And the old wing was silent and the window long closed.
The next day word came that Mr. Rattle and a lady wished to call, so Andrew had to tell the story of the earlier visit and Michael added thoughtfully, ‘She’s very interested in a tour of the house. Perhaps the door will be open this time.’
But when the two arrived, things changed–many things changed. Rattle appeared bearing the girl on one arm and a large parcel in the other. As he bowed his greetings, his coat swung open revealing a dazzling waistcoat.
The family exclaimed in unison, but it was Bessie who approached Rattle, offered her hand and admired his sartorial splendour with great delight.
‘Indeed, Mr. Rattle,’ she smiled and Rattle’s heart did a swan dive, ‘I have never seen pugs so beautifully rendered on any garment. I shall have to describe it to them in detail.’
‘Do you truly like it?’ he breathed. ‘I did want to celebrate the count and Louisa and the little ones. I made many sketches before the tailor took it away.’
‘Do you mean that you designed it yourself?’ asked Bessie amazed.
‘Certainly,’ said Rattle. Then he added shyly, ‘Of course I’ve never done one that had so much of my heart in it.’ Suddenly he grinned, ‘and my understandable girth makes a large canvass.’
Bessie looked at the artwork. One side of the waistcoat celebrated the count in silk threads of marvelous colours. Next to him sat a tiny puppy on a cushion. The pattern was repeated on the other side in which Louisa starred. The buttons were cut in the shape of tiny roses and needlepoint rose petals rained over the family.
When the little family entered, Rattle almost ruined his very new coat by rolling about with the count as he had when he was a boy. He tickled the puppies and stroked Louisa and, to Mac and Iggy, looked almost human. But Michael was watching Bessie and the young woman. At first, she had saluted Bess as the daughter of the house, alluded to an old wound between the families and professed her desire to make everything well between them. Bessie had accepted all this with a strained smile and many nods. Then, the girl walked to a window and pointed out the old wing, telling of her desire to visit a particular room. Michael did the gentlemanly thing and ordered tea. When it arrived, the girl persisted, between mouthfuls, in her intention.
‘Cousin,’ she
crooned to Bess, ‘you have no idea how old houses interest me. And this one has
a full wing that was once the centre of the house in the time of
‘Not as long as you suppose,’ muttered Mac between mouthfuls.
‘If if has been shut up for so long,’ said Bess taking little Walter onto her lap, ‘then you cannot visit it in so fine a dress.’
‘Oh, this. I have hundreds like this.’
‘So has Bessie. Thousands and thousands of dresses!’ interrupted Louisa, taking full advantage of her new station, and Mattie smiled.
‘But,’ continued Bessie calmly ignoring Louisa, ‘I have not. However, the family does intend to look at the wing during this visit, so perhaps another time.’
‘Oh, cousin,’ the girl positively simpered, ‘do let me look with you.’
‘Madam,’ said Bess quietly, ‘if you tell us what you hope to find, perhaps we can send word. Has your family lost something in this house?’
The girl’s face darkened, ‘If we lose something we always get it back.’
‘Then it is just a little amusement?’
‘Nothing more, cousin.’
It was then that Rattle remembered his parcel. He moved over to the table and called to Bessie. Glad of an excuse to quit the conversation, Bessie joined him at the table and looked curiously at the parcel.
‘This is my present,’ Rattle almost whispered. ‘The puppies are very young, so I’ve brought them my christening blanket to keep them warm.’ If he heard Bessie’s gasp, he ignored it. ‘It’s very cozy,’ he continued happily, ‘and, I would venture to say, very pretty.’ Bessie took up the beautiful thing very gently. Her mind was working so quickly that, for a moment, she completely forgot her irritating cousin in the beauty of Rattle’s gift.
‘Would you allow me to make a suggestion?’ she asked quietly.
‘With gratitude,’ Rattle answered.
‘Then come with me,’ said Bessie and led the entranced Rattle from the room. They walked into the special pug room and were greeted by the happy couple and their offspring. While Rattle played, Bessie went over to a lovely press and opened it.
‘Please come,’ she said. Rattle joined her and looked in. There was a shawl of the most beautiful colour. ‘That,’ said Bessie, ‘was Mother’s and when they were old enough, it was given to Ignatius Oliver and Mac. My thought is that since the puppies are so young, it would be wise to keep yours for a little time until they can enjoy it.’
‘May it be kept here?’ asked Rattle who was hoping to spin the conversation out an eon or two.
‘A pleasure,’ said Bessie, who was folding it with great care. When she was finished, she turned to him gravely, ‘We had best go back to tea.’
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Having been revived by the tea and tons of scones, Rattle, who was in a dreamy state due to the reception of his waistcoat and his blanket, finally observed that all was not calm in the waters of the visit, and though he was not a man of spontaneous excursions, he did suggest a turn in the garden so that the pugs could enjoy the sunshine. This burst of intelligence so stunned Iggy and Mac that they moved to the door without a word and the count, escorting Louisa, trotted by Rattle’s side.
Michael and Andrew walked the new cousin firmly between them and left Bessie to choose her partners, but Bess walked alone.
When they turned to walk along the sand, little Walter pointed out the carriages returning to the house. The queen’s retinue was coming back. Soon the young man would ask for the girl’s hand in marriage and something would happen. They were snapped back into the present by the count, who whispered that Rattle felt foolish for bringing the girl. Mac told him to dismiss it.
But as he kissed her hand with surprising accuracy, Rattle murmured to Bessie, ‘Please forgive me if I have offended.’
‘No one who knows you, Willie,’ said Bess gently, ‘could ever believe you capable of deliberate contrivance against another’s happiness.’
Rattle blushed and glowed and went home unconscious of his brooding
companion’s sharp eyes that had burned when the procession went past. Over and
over he murmured to himself, ‘She called me Willie.’
That night Iggy went to kiss his sister and her children goodnight. ‘Brother,’ said Louisa simply, ‘will you see to it that all those people in the strange costumes don’t swirl around my little ones?’
Iggy stopped, too astonished to answer, and Louise continued, ‘The tall, grand woman with the red hair may come. She seems to be a friend of yours, for she mentioned the Proud Pugs and she is quite gentle with the children, but there’s a dark woman I don’t like.’
‘My dear,’ said Iggy gently, ‘I shall try, but they are . . . er . . . spirits.’
‘Of course they are. Who would go around got up like that today? Nevertheless,’ she continued serenely, ‘I’m sure you and Mac will see to it.’
‘Yes, indeed,’ said Iggy, ‘as long as the queen may come.’
‘The queen,’ said Louisa majestically, ‘is always welcome.’
Iggy staggered back to the fire, made the astonished Andrew give him a double brandy and told Mac.
Mac rolled about on his back with his paws flailing in the air. ‘What a girl!’ he giggled. ‘Elizabeth of England is welcome to visit our puppies. No wonder the family got into trouble.’
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