As Alex opened her eyes early the next morning, she tried to place the sound which had awakened her. It wasn't the birds, as loud as they were this early. It was a hollow clopping sound, a slow beat for a minute or so, then an equal time of silence. She went to the side window, and by stretching a bit she was able to see a part of the street, just in time to see a golden yellow wagon, pulled by a horse she couldn't see. In gilt-edged red letters was emblazoned "Hartford Dairy" with a picture of a dairy farm inside a red and gold oval.
She poured water from a large pitcher into a basin and washed herself. She brushed her teeth, using "Holtzmann's Pearly Tooth Powder, with Baking Soda." The strong, salty taste of the baking soda made her mouth pucker. She finished washing, then slowly dressed, enjoying the coolness of morning.
As she descended the stairs, she was surrounded by the rich aromas of breakfast being prepared. She could smell cinnamon rolls baking.
Ned and Alice were seated, sipping coffee, dressed for work. Ned was once again in a suit, Alice in a full-length black skirt and high-collared white blouse. Mr. Strong was not yet in evidence. Harry Lightcap came downstairs shortly after Alex and, after greetings all around, they sat to the breakfast that Jane began serving. The cinnamon buns were every bit as wonderful as Alex had expected. Bacon, eggs, homemade elderberry jam, apple juice, and coffee. Jane asked if anyone cared for waffles, but there were no takers.
After a few minutes, Mrs. Bloomfield walked into the room, and greeted everyone individually. "Did you sleep well, Alexandra?" she asked.
"Like a baby," she replied.
"What are your plans today?" Ned asked Alex.
"I'm planning to go over to Nook Farm and look around," she answered. "I've heard a lot about it."
"Our little literary community is becoming well known. Maybe you'll get to meet that lovely Mrs. Stowe," Mrs. Bloomfield said, referring to Harriet Beecher Stowe, writer of Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Clemens' next-door neighbor.
"Actually, I was hoping to see Mr. Samuel Clemens," Alex replied. "I've read some of his books, and I really liked them."
"I've never really trusted him," Mrs. Bloomfield replied. "He's a bit eccentric for the neighborhood. Always with his smelly cigars and boisterous friends. Don't get me wrong - his wife and daughters are lovely - but it was a much quieter and more dignified place before he arrived. Believe me, Mrs. Stowe is someone well worth meeting, if you should be so lucky."
Thanking Mrs. Bloomfield for her advice, Alex took her leave of the group and opened the front door, just as Mr. Strong stepped down onto the top stair. He nodded to her, but his face was as aloof as ever. She said a cheery "Good day, Mr. Strong", then stepped onto the front porch, closing the door behind her.
It was a magnificent morning, full of sunlight and bird songs. Goldenrod stood up happily to welcome her to his porch, then walked with her to the gate. She slipped out, without allowing him to escape alongside her. He watched her walk away.
She walked a block and a half along Hawthorn Street, then turned right onto Forest Street. She walked through a wooded area with no buildings, then she came to a neighborhood of lovely homes. She knew she was in the Nook Farm area, and that some of these homes were still standing in her own time. By now, her stomach was in knots with nervousness. She passed Harriet Beecher Stowe's home, then turned left onto Farmington Avenue. She knew that any time now she'd see it -- and there it was!
The house at 351 Farmington Avenue was fabulous. There was no other word for it. It was a wondrous mixture of house, steamboat, and imagination. Overall, it was a rich red brick color, with gray sharp-peaked roofs and red brick chimneys. The house was so full of details that her eyes couldn't take in everything at once. The side Alex faced, the front of the house, was dominated by the "porte cochere," their term for the overhang over the driveway which allowed the Clemenses to board their horse-drawn coach under cover. The front entrance was under the porte cochere. But the house had an overall feeling of being a land-locked steamboat, so that the porte cochere looked vaguely like a paddle wheel, and the narrow end of the house looked like the front of a boat, especially because there was a large balcony on the third floor. This balcony fairly cried out for someone in a captain's uniform to stand there and gaze ahead at the distant horizon. She found it easier to think of the side with the large balcony as the "bow", and the side with the porte cochere as the "port" side. From here, she couldn't see the "starboard" side (the right side) or the "stern" (the back of the ship).
The rest of the first floor on the bow and port sides was surrounded by the "Ombra," the porch with the lovely open railing that looked like a series of x's crossing a series of o's. All the woodwork, here and everywhere on the outside, was the same red-brown color as the brickwork. There were windows, arches, balconies, awnings, railings, chimneys, and decorations everywhere. The third floor had two balconies on this side, running between the steep-slanted sides of peaked roofs, with French doors opening onto each balcony. The captain's balcony on the third floor looked out over wide lawns to a wooded area, with a small river in the distance.
Some of the rows of bricks were painted, mostly scarlet but also black, to produce bands of color that seemed to run around the whole house. Other horizontal bands of painted color helped give the house a fairy-tale fantasy flavor. All the chimneys (Alex could see at least four) had the colored bands, too.
As she came closer to the house, she could look along the driveway, through the porte cochere, into the stable, where she could see an old black man polishing the side of a glossy black carriage. Because of her nervousness, she could not remember his name just then, but later she'd be introduced to John Lewis, who had been with the Clemens for many years. She could not see anyone else, either inside or around the house, but could occasionally hear a childish giggle.
Her plan was to meet the Clemens girls, but she wasn't sure just how to do it. She continued along Farmington Avenue and walked along the far side of the house. She was hoping to see onto the porch, where the giggling seemed to be, but the view was blocked by trees and bushes. She walked well past the end of the house, turned, and slowly walked back the way she'd come.
Just as she came even with the front of the house again, she saw a ball rolling down the driveway, followed by a dog, followed by a child. Since it was about to roll into the street, she picked it up and walked toward the girl. This must be Jean, she thought, the six-year-old. Jean stopped when she saw Alex, then shyly stepped forward.
"Here's your ball," Alex said, giving Jean her most winning smile. It worked, because Jean smiled back and said "Thank you. I'm Jean Clemens. Who are you?"
Alex introduced herself as Alexandra Lee and handed over the ball. "Would you like to play?" Jean asked. Alex felt a sudden thrill, because this was what she needed. "Sure," she replied.
They walked together onto the porch. "This is Flash," Jean said, introducing the dog. "And this is my sister Clara Clemens," she said, making a face and grimacing on the word 'sister.' Maybe some things don't change, Alex thought.
Clara was lovely, with long dark hair, and a soft and pleasant face with a happy smile and big brown eyes. She was only twelve now, but Alex knew she'd be beautiful when she grew up. She moved gracefully, carrying a book, and crossed the porch to meet Alex. "I'm Alexandra. Nice to meet you," she said.
"Are you from around here?" Clara asked.
"No, I'm just visiting for a few days, while my father is here on business. We're staying over on Hawthorn Street," Alex said.
"Our father is away on a lecture trip, but he'll be home tonight. He's a writer, so he's always busy," Jean said. "Come on, let's play something."
The three girls stepped into the back garden, and began a game of 'pickle in the middle.' They took turns in the middle, with the other two throwing the ball back and forth while the third one tried to take the ball away. Since Jean was so much shorter, they had to roll the ball when she was in the middle. Jean was totally involved in the game, and was breathing heavily from running. Alex and Clara were much more casual about the game.
Alex remarked that there seemed to be a lot of cats around, some of whom occasionally ran through the game. "Papa loves cats so we always have some around," Clara Jean said. "He collects them, and he gets to name them. We don't mind because he's really good at coming up with names. We have Blatherskite, Sour Mash, Sin, Stray Cat, and Fraulein here now."
"Don't forget Satan," Jean added.
A screen door slammed, and Clara said, "That must be Susy." Alex froze, and was immediately hit in the head by the ball. "What's wrong?" Clara asked.
Alex couldn't very well admit the truth - that she was here to save Susy's life. But the thought of meeting the young girl who might be dead in a few days was too much for her. She began to shake. Clara noticed and asked, "Aren't you feeling well?"
Alex nodded and managed to say, "I was running too much," and went to sit on a porch step. After a few seconds, she heard footsteps behind her, and stood to meet Susy.
Clara performed introductions, and Alex was entranced by Susy. It was overwhelming to meet someone she'd read about in books. After reading Susy's biography of her father, Alex almost felt that she knew her. Now she was faced by the actual person.
Susy resembled Clara, and was pretty where Clara was beautiful. Susy's hair was lighter, a coppery brown, and shorter. While she was actually two years older than Clara, she looked the same age, or slightly younger. Her complexion was lighter, and she might have been somewhat shorter than Clara. But she had the same delightful smile, the same lively and intelligent eyes.
The four girls went behind the stable, where a badminton net was set up. Since Alex was the tallest, she was partnered with Jean. The game was lively but one-sided, since Jean was simply too short to return the birdie very often, and Alex was reluctant to dominate their side.
Alex found that the girls were very easy to be with, though their personalities were quite different. Clara was warm and friendly, attentive to their guest, and very outgoing. Susy was equally friendly, but was quiet and reserved. At times her thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. Jean was bubbly and enthusiastic, excited about the game as well as her new friend.
There was a shout of "lunch is ready" from the direction of the house. Jean dropped her racquet and starting running toward the house, then remembered to stop and yell for Alex to "C'mon." Susy collected the racquets and took them to the stable, while Clara and Alex walked toward the house. "I'll come back after lunch," Alex said.
"No, you don't have to go," Clara insisted. "You can share our lunch with us."
When they stepped onto the Ombra, they found a small table neatly set for four, with Jean already seated. "I noticed you had a friend with you," said a cheerful woman standing in the cool shade. "Alexandra, this is Katy Leary", said Clara.
Alexandra said "Pleased to meet you. Thank you for lunch." Katy nodded and said "You're quite welcome, dearie," and went back inside.
The girls chattered about nothing at all for some time, slowly getting to know one another, until Clara said "Susy is writing a biography of our father. I've read some of it, and it's really good. Except for the spelling," Clara added.
"Thank you. And don't forget Papa said that spelling is boring if everyone does it the same way," Susy replied.
"It must be exciting having a father who's a famous writer, isn't it?" Alex asked.
No one answered for a moment, then Susy said "I guess it is, but he has to travel so much."
"Don't you get to go with him?" Alex asked.
"Sometimes, for a day or two," Susy answered. "When I was six we lived in Germany for a long time. Now we go with him to his lectures, usually at some college."
"But usually it's a lot of fun," Clara added. "We get some really interesting visitors, like President Grant, and Robert Louis Stevenson, and Rudyard Kipling, from England."
"And some really strange ones, especially the other writers." Jean said.
"We almost always have somebody visiting us," Susy said. "Father stays up all night playing billiards and smoking with his friends, and the whole upstairs smells of cigars."
"And during the day people come around all the time, people we don't know. Autograph seekers, or reporters, or people wanting Father to invest in something."
"There's been somebody walking around the house today," Clara said. "He tries to look like he's just walking past, but he keeps looking at the house."
"You can't blame him for that," Alex answered. "It's not the kind of house you can ignore."
"This is different. He's looking for something, I'm sure of it," Clara said.
Then Alex remembered her mission, and began to wonder if perhaps this stranger had something to do with the danger to Susy's life. She knew it would be a carriage accident, but maybe he was somehow involved.
Just then, the door from the house squeaked open and closed, and out stepped a tall, pretty woman, dressed all in black despite the heat. Her hair was parted in the middle and pulled back into a tight bun. She moved slowly, delicately, and gracefully. This, Alex knew at once, was Mrs. Clemens, "Livy" to her husband. Her complexion was pale, and her overall appearance was of frailty. Alex remembered that, when Mrs. Clemens was a teenager, she was badly injured in an ice-skating accident, and had to spend several years in bed. Her family thought she'd never walk again, but she recovered, though her health was always poor afterwards.
The Clemens girls jumped up to hug their mother. Alex stood up and waited for an introduction.
"Mama, this is my new friend, Alexandra," Jean said. Alex almost expected her to ask Can I keep her"
Mrs. Clemens stepped forward, smiling, and shook Alex's hand gently. "Yes, I'd heard we had a visitor. It's very nice to meet you, Alexandra."
At once Alex was impressed by the warmth and friendliness of Mrs. Clemens, who seemed genuinely pleased to meet her. "If you girls are finished with lunch, you should come inside. It's much too warm out here today," said Mrs. Clemens.
As they entered through the front door into the main hallway, Alex was struck by the fact that the house was a home, not a museum as she remembered it. When she was to visit this house over a hundred years from now, she'd be impressed by its beauty, but only now that she could see it with its family could she really appreciate the wonder of the place.
Before she could stop to drink in the sights, Clara took her hand and led her toward the stairs, which the four girls climbed, with Jean leading the way. The walls were covered mostly in deep reds and burgundies, with dark blue patterns that looked like designs from India. Parts of the walls were panelled, with silver stencilling. The stairway was a rich brown, polished wood, heavily carved and ornamented.
The stairs opened onto the room which Clara called the "school room." Inside, Alex could see small desks, and a large collection of toys. "This is my bedroom," Jean shouted, running into a room to the left. "Clara's, too" she added as an afterthought.
The bedroom was large and bright, with three windows that looked out over the stables to the woods beyond. Across from the door they had entered was an open door to the girls' bathroom, and a closed door which Susy pointed out as "my room."
"Look, there he is again!" Clara suddenly shouted, and the other girls rushed to join her at the window. Alex was just in time to see someone walking along the sidewalk disappear from view because of the trees along that side of the house. "He was in a dark suit, and had a black beard," Clara said. "I'm sure he's the same one I've seen before."
"Shouldn't we tell Mama?" Jean asked.
"I don't think so," Susy answered. "There are so many people around here all the time. There's nothing special about that man. He probably wants Papa's autograph."
"He seems sinister," Clara said, adding a comic shiver to the word. Susy sighed with great exaggeration, turned, and headed toward the "school room." The other girls followed.
This room was a delightful mix of learning and play. It was full of books, many of which were the girls' school books. There were many books in German and about the German language. Clara had told her that, in the summer, they had daily German lessons conducted by their mother. There were several desks and work tables, plus a small two-sided blackboard which flipped between the two sides.
The toys were of all kinds, but most were educational. There was a large Noah's Ark, given to Susy by her father, that had almost two hundred animals. There were numerous games which seemed to emphasize geography, history, and Bible studies. And dolls, of all shapes and sizes, and a large doll house. There was also an upright piano, piled with music, and above the piano were two large round palm fans on the wall. There was also a large fireplace, with a mantel full of pictures, toys, a vase of dried flowers, and other bric-a-brac.
Alex and Clara played cards, while Susy read and Jean played with a paper doll with cutout paper clothes. Susy giggled in her chair in front of the window. "Have you read this book Papa wrote? It's called The Prince and the Pauper."
Alex began to answer that she had read the book a long time ago, but remembered, just in time, that it was a not so old here. "No, not yet," she answered.
"You have to read it. It's our favorite. We think it's the best book he's ever done," Susy said, and her sisters agreed enthusiastically. Susy briefly described the story to Alex.
"I'd really like to read it," Alex said.
"We'll give you one of our copies," Jean said. "We have a big box full."
"Sometimes we put it on as a play," Clara said. "Last Winter we surprised Papa with it when he came home from a trip to Scotland. Susy plays the prince, and our friend Margaret plays the pauper, and I play Lady Jane Gray. Mama wrote the play for us, from Papa's book."
Then Susy said, "The funniest thing was when Papa played the part of Miles Hendon. Of course he rewrote it so he'd have a bigger part, but he was wonderful. I told him he should have been an actor."
Jean dug through a box of books in a closet, found a brand new copy of the book, and handed it to Alex. Alex was thrilled, and opened the book as though it were a great treasure. "This is wonderful. Could you all sign it for me?" Alex asked.
"This is my first autograph," Jean said proudly, printing her name. Susy, Clara, and Alex laughed.