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malice。 I can hear the grudge in your voice； but I didn't mean to laugh
at you。 You don't like being made fun of； do you？〃
〃I don't believe anybody does；〃 said Clementina。
〃No； indeed；〃 said Milray。 〃If I had tried such a thing I should be
afraid you would make it uncomfortable for me。 But I haven't； have I？〃
〃I don't know；〃 said Clementina； reluctantly。
Milray laughed gleefully。 〃Well； you'll forgive me； because I'm an old
fellow。 If I were young； you wouldn't； would you？〃
Clementina thought of the clerk； she had certainly never forgiven him。
〃Shall I read on？〃 she asked。
〃Yes； yes。 Read on；〃 he said； respectfully。 Once he interrupted her to
say that she pronounced admirable； but he would like now and then to
differ with her about a word if she did not mind。 She answered； Oh no；
indeed； she should like it ever so much； if he would tell her when she
was wrong。 After that he corrected her； and he amused himself by
studying forms of respect so delicate that they should not alarm her
pride； Clementina reassured him in terms as fine as his own。 She did not
accept his instructions implicitly； she meant to bring them to the bar of
Gregory's knowledge。 If he approved of them； then she would submit。
Milray easily possessed himself of the history of her life and of all its
circumstances； and he said he would like to meet her father and make the
acquaintance of a man whose mind； as Clementina interpreted it to him； he
found so original。
He authorized his wife to arrange with Mrs。 Atwell for a monopoly of
Clementina's time while he stayed at Middlemount； and neither he nor Mrs。
Milray seemed surprised at the good round sum； as the landlady thought
it； which she asked in the girl's behalf。
IX。
The Milrays stayed through August； and Mrs。 Milray was the ruling spirit
of the great holiday of the summer； at Middlemount。 It was this year
that the landlords of the central mountain region had decided to compete
in a coaching parade； and to rival by their common glory the splendor of
the East Side and the West Side parades。 The boarding…houses were to
take part； as well as the hotels； the farms where only three or four
summer folks were received； were to send their mountain…wagons； and all
were to be decorated with bunting。 An arch draped with flags and covered
with flowers spanned the entrance to the main street at Middlemount
Centre； and every shop in the village was adorned for the event。
Mrs。 Milray made the landlord tell her all about coaching parades； and
the champions of former years on the East Side and the West Side； and
then she said that the Middlemount House must take the prize from them
all this year； or she should never come near his house again。 He
answered； with a dignity and spirit he rarely showed with Mrs。 Milray's
class of custom； 〃I'm goin' to drive our hossis myself。〃
She gave her whole time to imagining and organizing the personal display
on the coach。 She consulted with the other ladies as to the kind of
dresses that were to be worn； but she decided everything herself； and
when the time came she had all the young men ravaging the lanes and
pastures for the goldenrod and asters which formed the keynote of her
decoration for the coach。
She made peace and kept it between factions that declared themselves
early in the affair； and of all who could have criticized her for taking
the lead perhaps none would have willingly relieved her of the trouble。
She freely declared that it was killing her； and she sounded her accents
of despair all over the place。 When their dresses were finished she made
the persons of her drama rehearse it on the coach top in the secret of
the barn； where no one but the stable men were suffered to see the
effects she aimed at。 But on the eve of realizing these in public she
was overwhelmed by disaster。 The crowning glory of her composition was
to be a young girl standing on the highest seat of the coach； in the
character of the Spirit of Summer； wreathed and garlanded with flowers；
and invisibly sustained by the twelve months of the year； equally divided
as to sex； but with the more difficult and painful attitudes assigned to
the gentlemen who were to figure as the fall and winter months。 It had
been all worked out and the actors drilled in their parts； when the
Spirit of Summer； who had been chosen for the inoffensiveness of her
extreme youth； was taken with mumps； and withdrawn by the doctor's
orders。 Mrs。 Milray had now not only to improvise another Spirit of
Summer； but had to choose her from a group of young ladies； with the
chance of alienating and embittering those who were not chosen。 In her
calamity she asked her husband what she should do； with but the least
hope that he could tell her。 But he answered promptly； 〃Take Clementina；
I'll let you have her for the day；〃 and then waited for the storm of her
renunciations and denunciations to spend itself。
〃To be sure；〃 she said； when this had happened； 〃it isn't as if she were
a servant in the house； and the position can be regarded as a kind of
public function； anyhow。 I can't say that I've hired her to take the
part； but I can give her a present afterwards； and it will be the same
thing。〃
The question of clothes for Clementina Mrs。 Milray declared was almost as
sweeping in its implication as the question of the child's creation。〃
She has got to be dressed new from head to foot；〃 she said； 〃every
stitch； and how am I to manage it in twenty…four hours？〃
By a succession of miracles with cheese…cloth； and sashes and ribbons； it
was managed； and ended in a triumph so great that Mrs。 Milray took the
girl in her arms and kissed her for looking the Spirit of Summer to a
perfection that the victim of the mumps could not have approached。 The
victory was not lastingly marred by the failure of Clementina's shoes to
look the Spirit of Summer as well as the rest of her costume。 No shoes
at all world have been the very thing； but shoes so shabby and worn down
at one side of the heel as Clementina's were very far from the thing。
Mrs。 Milray decided that another fold of cheese…cloth would add to the
statuesque charm of her figure； and give her more height； and she was
richly satisfied with the effect when the Middlemount coach drove up to
the great veranda the next morning； with all the figures of her picture
in position on its roof； and Clementina supreme among them。 She herself
mounted in simple； undramatized authority to her official seat beside the
landlord； who in coachman's dress； with a bouquet of autumnal flowers in
his lapel； sat holding his garlanded reins over the backs of his six
horses； and then the coach as she intended it to appear in the parade set
out as soon as the turnouts of the other houses joined it。 They were all
to meet at the Middlemount； which was thickly draped and festooned in
flags； with knots of evergreen and the first red boughs of the young
swamp maples holding them in place over its irregular facade。 The coach
itself was amass of foliage and flowers； from which it defined itself as
a wheeled vehicle in vague and partial outline； the other wagons and
coaches； as they drove tremulously up； with an effect of having been
mired in blossoms about their spokes and hubs； had the unwieldiness which
seems inseparable from spectacularity。 They represented motives in color
and design sometimes tasteless enough； and sometimes so nearly very good
that Mrs。 Milray's heart was a great deal in her mouth； as they arrived；
each with its hotel…cry roared and shrilled from a score of masculine and
feminine throats； and finally spelled for distinctness sake； with an
ultimate yell or growl。 But she had not finished giving the lady…
representative of a Sunday newspaper the points of her own tableau；
before she regained the courage and the faith in which she remained
serenely steadfast throughout the parade。
It was when all the equipages of the neighborhood had arrived that she
climbed to her place； the ladder was taken away； the landlord spoke to
his horses； and the Middlemount coach led the parade； amid the renewed
slogans； and the cries and fluttered handkerchiefs of the guests crowding
the verandas。
The line of march was by one road to Middlemount Centre； where the prize
was to be awarded at the judges' stand； and then the coaches were to
escort the triumphant vehicle homeward by another route； so as to pass as
many houses on the way as possible。 It was a curious expression of the
carnival spirit in a region immemorially starved of beauty in the lives
of its people； and whatever was the origin of the mountain coaching
parade； or from whatever impulse of sentimentality or advertising it
came； the effect was of undeniable splendor； and of phantasmagoric
strangeness。
Gregory watched its progress from a hill…side pasture as it trailed
slowly along the rising and falling road。 The songs of the young girls；
interrupted by the explosion of hotel slogans and college cries from the
young men； floated off to him on the thin breeze of the cloudless August
morning； like the hymns and shouts of a saturnalian rout going in holiday
processional to sacrifice to their gods。