The injured foot was all but forgotten. Never was a girl livelier than Rosa, more enthusiastic nor more expectant—for the great times ahead. But through all her plans, it seemed to Nancy, a vein1 of mystery ran. For instance, she would talk about losing weight, exercising, dieting and go over the entire formula, when suddenly she would stop short, maybe put her finger to her lips and do something to indicate secrecy2.
“It’s all planned and plotted,” she declared, when she finally did agree to take a little walk135 through the special fern path from which the place had received its name, “and won’t daddy and Betty be surprised?”
“What makes you so sure?” asked Nancy. “How ever can you tell that you will lose pounds and pounds?”
“I’m positive,” replied Rosa. “And I just dream of it all the time. Haven’t you ever had that sort of dream?”
“The silly kind? Surely. I had one special pet—and I’m afraid I haven’t banished4 it yet,” admitted Nancy. “I always wanted to wake up with light golden curls and heavenly blue eyes.”
The shout with which Rosa replied to this must have disturbed every pixy in the woods, for she simply roared!
“And you think that would make you happy! Why, I have blue eyes and curls, and my hair was golden—”
“And you are very pretty!”
“Nancy—Antoinette Brandon!”
“I mean it. You are!”
“Fat me!”
136 “You don’t have to stay fat!”
“I’m not going to!”
“Rosa—Rosalind Fernell!”
“What?”
“Please tell me what you mean.”
“By getting thin?”
“No. How are you going to get thin?”
“Oh.” Rosa swung herself around until she touched the little white birch tree with her finger tips. “You just wait and see!”
“I think that’s rather mean.” Nancy also swung herself around but not in Rosa’s direction. “I do hope you are not going to do anything foolish.”
“That depends. Margot thinks everything I do is foolish.”
“Oh, you know I don’t mean that, Rosa,” Nancy answered quickly. “But, you see, with the folks away we’ve got to be rather—cautious.”
“Now, don’t preach.”
“I don’t know how. Ted3 says I preach like the umpire at a ball game.”
“You were going to show me his funny letter,”137 put in Rosa, her eagerness to change the subject not even thinly disguised. “I know you have a whole batch5 of them, too. You know, Dell is just crazy about that sort of thing. She wants to teach kindergarten. Just imagine!”
“She’s very intelligent,” said Nancy, falling back into her own way of saying things which had ever been a part of her home life. “Mother always says we can tell folks by the things they prefer, rather than by the company they keep.”
“You’re over my head, Nancy,” laughed Rosa. “But if that’s true I must be a spiritual skeleton, for I love—thin folks.” Impulsively6 Rosa had thrown her arms around Nancy, and just as impulsively Nancy had thrown her arms around Rosa, until presently they were dancing through the woods like a couple of sprites—even if Rosa was a trifle out of spritely proportion.
They sang snatches of songs, they tried out different steps and were as free as the air about them; until they heard something queer.
138 “What’s that?” Nancy asked the question first.
“I wonder,” replied Rosa.
“Sounds like someone groaning7.”
“A man, don’t you think?” Rosa’s voice had dwindled8 to a whisper.
Again came the noise interrupting their questions. This time there was no mistaking it. Someone was groaning.
“Let’s run back; we’re away out in Baker’s Woods,” said Rosa with deep concern. “And there’s the road. We’ll take that,” at which both girls turned to the well beaten path.
“Halt!” came the command. “Right about face!”
“Garry Durand!” exclaimed Rosa. “You mean thing!”
“Not to be an old tramp or something?” jeered9 the boy, who had stepped out into their path and was enjoying the little fright he had given them. “I suppose,” he went on, “you are disappointed. A real bandit would have been more fun.”
“Now, Gar,” scolded Rosa, “you know a139 lot better than that. We were just wondering where you and Dell had been keeping yourselves.”
“Like fun you were, just wondering. We’ve been watching you dance. What was that? A new one?”
“We?” queried10 Rosa.
“Yes. Come on, Paul; get introduced.”
At this there stepped from behind a big tree, another young man—no doubt Paul.
“This is Paul Randolph,” said Gar, “Miss Brandon and the famous Rosa—”
But Rosa cut that short. “The idea,” she protested, “of you peeping.”
“We weren’t, really,” defended Paul. “We just came along. Our car went dry and we were walking back.”
“Then, we’ll forgive you,” Nancy managed to say. She was losing the natural self-consciousness which had at first been difficult to overcome. Coming from the home of her devoted11 mother and darling Ted into the confused surroundings of Rosa, this was easy to understand.
140 As she spoke12 Paul stepped up to her, and they started off in the direction of home. Rosa was ahead with Gar and she, it appeared, was not in agreement with him. He argued and she protested.
Instantly his remark about Nancy coming just in time to save Rosa from some mysterious danger, flitted back into Nancy’s mind. It had been said at their very first meeting, but as time wore on, many other things appeared to make it seem important, and, of course, it was connected with Orilla. Now, Nancy could scarcely keep track of what Paul was saying, because of the distraction13 ahead with Rosa and Gar.
“I tell you flatly I won’t!” Gar broke out once just as Rosa, smiling, grabbed his arm and turned the remark into a joke. But as he turned around facing Nancy and Paul, his expression flatly belied14 Rosa’s attempt.
“Did you hear about the fun we are going to have at Sunset?” Rosa asked Paul.
“Hear about the fun you are going to have?” he teased. “How could we?”
141 “Oh, you know what I mean,” pouted15 Rosa. “We are going to the dances.”
“So are we,” said Paul gallantly16, “so I suppose that’s hearing about the fun we are all going to have.”
“They have swell17 music,” put in Gar. “The best banjoist in Boston is with that outfit18.”
“But really it isn’t Sunset that’s so attractive, but getting out,” explained Rosa. “You see, I’ve been rather tied to the apron19 string of Margot—”
“Lovely long string,” said Paul gaily20, “judging from Gar’s accounts.”
“Has he been giving away my secrets?” asked Rosa, winking21 at Nancy and attempting to strike Gar.
“Better be careful,” cautioned Nancy, “or you’ll give them away yourself, Rosa. That’s the worst of having secrets; they’re so tricky22.”
“Now we’re getting interesting,” remarked Paul. “Go ahead, Nancy. Give us your idea of—secrets.”
“Oh, she hasn’t any,” put in Rosa, rather flustered23. “That is, she hasn’t any of my142 kind; she doesn’t have to.”
Everybody laughed at that except Rosa, and even to Paul Randolph, the stranger, Rosa’s uneasiness must have been evident. Quickly deciding to save her cousin from further embarrassment24, Nancy broke into a lively talk about New Hampshire, comparing it with Massachusetts, and insisting that the big, measureless lake, with mountains all around it, and according to tradition with mountains hidden in its depth, was no more scenically25 beautiful than many another less famous and much smaller lake in the sister state.
“I’ll show you scenery,” declared Gar in worthy26 defense27 of his adopted territory. “Over among those hills there’s everything you could imagine in the way of rocks and lands and vegetation—”
“Except pretty wild flowers,” cut in Nancy. “And you don’t even have very pretty ferns.”
Whereat a general study in the ferns all around them was begun. The little by-play helped to make talk and the interest shown143 was surely genuine, although occasionally Rosa would step aside with Gar and insist upon whispering to him. Nancy tried to keep up her contention28 that New Hampshire ferns were not as lacy as those of Massachusetts, but the argument going on between Rosa and Gar was hard to close her ears to.
“Say!” called out Paul suddenly, kicking over a big bunch of “umbrella fungus,” “what’s going on between you two anyway? Don’t you want an umpire?”
“No,” fired back Gar, “a referee29 would be better. Rosa thinks because I’m an old friend she can get me into her sort of scrapes. You’ve no idea, Nancy,” he sighed playfully, “how many scrapes Rosa can get into.”
“Oh, you think you’re smart, don’t you?” snapped Rosa, childishly. “Just because—because I happen to have different plans from yours, Gar.”
“But we’re helpless, you know, Rosa,” Nancy hurried to say. “We only got permission to go out without Margot, on condition that we would be very good and do144 everything that Dell and Gar wanted us to do.”
“As if I intend to follow that silly stuff,” flung back Rosa, defiantly30.
“Oh, all right,” drawled Gar elaborately, as if he were being very much offended. “Don’t worry about us. We can find plenty to do without—”
“Peace! Peace!” chanted Paul, as if fearful that the fun might result otherwise. “We might want an umpire or even a referee, but we don’t want a policeman.”
“Well, how about it?” asked Gar, turning so suddenly to another trend of thought that Nancy didn’t even guess what he meant. “Do we go to the dance to-night or don’t we?”
“I can’t go,” declared Rosa, promptly31.
“Oh, you know you can if you want to, Rose,” the boy urged, “and it’s going to be a big time.”
“But we really don’t take part in the dance, do we?” queried Nancy, just a little timidly, for she was not yet old enough to go to dances.
“Don’t worry, lamb,” said Rosa, facetiously,145 “even the very babes dance at summer hotels early in the evening. Later, of course, the grown-ups own the floor. What we want to see is the masquerade, the follies32, and all the stunts33 they get up. They’re fun!” she admitted, thus agreeing with Gar, who wanted to go to an affair that evening.
They were back to the porch of the big house now, and although Rosa pressed the boys to sit on the bench awhile, they politely declined, declaring they would presently have to go back to town for the delayed car.
Nancy was interested in Paul; it was so easy to talk to him—which fact Rosa presently explained.
“That’s because he’s so awfully34 smart,” she said when Nancy remarked how much she liked him. “He’s all ready for the M. I. T. I heard Gar say so.”
“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology,” amplified35 Nancy, “and he seems only like a high school boy.”
“Just being smart does it,” said Rosa cryptically36. “One has either to be smart or handsome,146 and Paul is going to be both.”
Margot came hurriedly out and interrupted them.
“I want to see you alone, Rosalind,” she said, so severely37 that Nancy was glad to run off to her room and leave Rosa with her judge. She wondered what could be the matter that Margot would use such a tone, and look so indignantly at Rose.
“All right, Maggie,” was all that Rosa said in reply to the peremptory38 summons.
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1
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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2
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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3
ted
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| vt.翻晒，撒，撒开 | |
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4
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
batch
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| n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量 | |
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impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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7
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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8
dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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11
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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12
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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13
distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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14
belied
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| v.掩饰( belie的过去式和过去分词 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎 | |
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15
pouted
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| v.撅（嘴）( pout的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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17
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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18
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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21
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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22
tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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23
flustered
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| adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词) | |
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24
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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25
scenically
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26
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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27
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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28
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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29
referee
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| n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人 | |
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30
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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31
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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32
follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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33
stunts
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| n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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34
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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35
amplified
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| 放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述 | |
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36
cryptically
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37
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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38
peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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