It was sunset; the view was wide and fine.Mr.and Mrs.Peterkin stood and looked out from the north to the south.Was it too late to send back for Elizabeth Eliza? Where was she?
Meanwhile the little boys had been informing the family of the object of their visit, and while Mr.and Mrs.Peterkin were looking up and down the road, and Agamemnon and Solomon John were explaining to each other the details of their journeys, they had discovered some facts.
"We shall have to go back," they exclaimed."We are too late! The maple-syrup was all made last spring.""We are too early; we shall have to stay two or three months, -the cider is not made till October."The expedition was a failure! They could study the making of neither maple-syrup nor cider, and Elizabeth Eliza was lost, perhaps forever! The sun went down, and Mr.and Mrs.Peterkin still stood to look up and down the road.
...........Elizabeth Eliza meanwhile, had sat upon her trunk, as it seemed for ages.She recalled all the terrible stories of prisoners,-how they had watched the growth of flowers through cracks in the pavement.She wondered how long she could live without eating.How thankful she was for her abundant breakfast!
At length she heard the door-bell.But who could go to the door to answer it? In vain did she make another effort to escape; it was impossible!
How singular!-there were footsteps.Some one was going to the door; some one had opened it."They must be burglars." Well, perhaps that was a better fate-to be gagged by burglars, and the neighbors informed-than to be forever locked on her trunk.The steps approached the door.It opened, and Amanda ushered in the expressman.
Amanda had not gone.She had gathered, while waiting at the breakfast-table, that there was to be an expressman whom she must receive.
Elizabeth Eliza explained the situation.The expressman turned the key of her trunk, and she was released!
What should she do next? So long a time had elapsed, she had given up all hope of her family returning for her.But how could she reach them?
She hastily prevailed upon the expressman to take her along until she should come up with some of the family.At least she would fall in with either the walking party or the carryall, or she would meet them if they were on their return.
She mounted the seat with the expressman, and slowly they took their way, stopping for occasional parcels as they left the village.
But much to Elizabeth Eliza's dismay, they turned off from the main road on leaving the village.She remonstrated, but the driver insisted he must go round by Millikin's to leave a bedstead.They went round by Millikin's, and then had further turns to make.
Elizabeth Eliza explained that in this way it would be impossible for her to find her parents and family, and at last he proposed to take her all the way with her trunk.She remembered with a shudder that when she had first asked about her trunk, he had promised it should certainly be delivered the next morning.
Suppose they should have to be out all night? Where did express-carts spend the night? She thought of herself in a lone wood, in an express-wagon! She could hardly bring herself to ask, before assenting, when he should arrive.
"He guessed he could bring up before night."And so it happened that as Mr.and Mrs.Peterkin in the late sunset were looking down the hill, wondering what they should do about the lost Elizabeth Eliza, they saw an express wagon approaching.
A female form sat upon the front seat.
"She has decided to come by express," said Mrs.Peterkin."It is-it is-Elizabeth Eliza!"1
BOSTON.THE Peterkins were in quite a muddle (for them) about the carnival of authors, to be given in Boston.As soon as it was announced, their interests were excited, and they determined that all the family should go.
But they conceived a wrong idea of the entertainment, as they supposed that every one must go in costume.Elizabeth Eliza thought their lessons in the foreign languages would help them much in conversing in character.
As the carnival was announced early Solomon John thought there would be time to read up everything written by all the authors, in order to be acquainted with the characters they introduced.Mrs.
Peterkin did not wish to begin too early upon the reading, for she was sure she should forget all that the different authors had written before the day came.
But Elizabeth Eliza declared that she should hardly have time enough, as it was, to be acquainted with all the authors.She had given up her French lessons, after taking six, for want of time, and had, indeed, concluded she had learned in them all she should need to know of that language.She could repeat one or two pages of phrases, and she was astonished to find how much she could understand already of what the French teacher said to her; and he assured her that when she went to Paris she could at least ask the price of gloves, or of some other things she would need, and he taught her, too, how to pronounce "gar?on," in calling for more.
Agamemnon thought that different members of the family might make themselves familiar with different authors; the little boys were already acquainted with "Mother Goose." Mr.Peterkin had read the "Pickwick Papers," and Solomon John had actually seen Mr.Longfellow getting into a horse-car.
Elizabeth Eliza suggested that they might ask the Turk to give lectures upon the "Arabian Nights." Everybody else was planning something of the sort, to "raise funds" for some purpose, and she was sure they ought not to be behindhand.Mrs.
Peterkin approved of this.It would be excellent if they could raise funds enough to pay for their own tickets to the carnival; then they could go every night.
Elizabeth Eliza was uncertain.She thought it was usual to use the funds for some object.Mr.Peterkin said that if they gained funds enough they might arrange a booth of their own, and sit in it, and take the carnival comfortably.
