Schoolgirl Jen at the Abbey

by Elsie J. Oxenham

  “But you don’t want to do it?” Joan looked at her closely. “When you booked your passage yesterday it was by the old route, I suppose?”

  “The way I’ve always gone. I like it much better. I’m not keen on the Red Sea bit, but I do like to settle down on the ship and feel at home, knowing I needn’t move till we reach Sydney Harbour. This other way will be interesting, even thrilling, but it’s a lot more trouble, and I don’t like the thought of the long train journey—days of it.”

  “Glorious trip! I shall go some day,” said Joy, the roving spirit. “You’ll have been right round the world! I envy you the chance.”

  “Did you really say Montreal?” Jen asked wistfully. “Oh, Jandy Mac, what luck! You could take Boniface and Vinny all the way! You’ll do it, won’t you?”

  “I’ve been swithering all night!” Janice burst out.

  “You’ve been what?” There was a stunned chorus.

  “Swithering. Oh, sorry! It’s one of my aunt’s old words. Hesitating, then!”

  “You booked your passage yesterday in a hurry, to have it settled.” Joan understood. “But you hadn’t quite decided, had you?”

  “I shall feel utterly mean, and a frightful slacker, if I go by the easy route and leave those two lonely infants to find their own way to Montreal! Boniface is just a babe in arms when it comes to travelling. I could cancel the berth I booked and say I found I had to go by the other route. But——” and she paused again.

  “Would it be very difficult? It sounds adventurous and complicated,” Joan said anxiously.

  “Uncle would see me through. He’d make arrangements about trains and the Pacific boats. No, it wouldn’t be too hard. I should go straight to them; they live in Montreal. They’d see me on my way. And they’d like me to go; they’ve asked me more than once. They said, if aunty could do it, I could. I’ve always made excuses. But when I start I like to feel I’m going straight home, with no more changes and fuss. Going by Canada, I shan’t feel I have really started till I’m on the ship setting out to cross the Pacific.” Her preference for the easy route was obvious.

  “Think of all you’ll see!” Joy said longingly. “The Rockies, and Niagara, and the Great Lakes, and the forests and prairies; and then those glorious islands in the Pacific! I don’t know how you can hesitate!”

  “Swither, was what she said. It’s a useful word,” Jen put in. “And talking about useful, think what a useful deed you’d be doing, by making the journey easy for Boniface and Lavinia, Jandy Mac!”

  “Making it possible. They’ll never go alone,” Joy said.

  “Could you bear it, Jandy?” Joan asked anxiously. “It would be so very kind!”

  “Would it cost a great deal more?” Jen looked troubled. “With all those trains and things, I should think it might. It doesn’t seem quite fair to Jandy Mac.”

  “That’s decent of you, Jenny-Wren!” Janice exclaimed. “But I can afford it. Once I’m married at Christmas I shan’t need to spend much for years. Living on a South Sea Island won’t be terribly expensive.”

  “Your Alec would like you to go to Canada,” Joy said.

  “Yes, but Alec wouldn’t like me to go second class,” Janice retorted. “He insists I must go first, as I’m alone.”

  “Second class?” The inexperienced three looked at her blankly.

  “But why?” Jen cried.

  “Of course you’d go first, as usual,” Joy exclaimed.

  “Oh!” Joan said slowly. “Yes, I see. Boniface and Vinny would go second class; the cheques from their relations will only run to second. You feel you’d have to be with them. You are decent, Jandy!”

  “Quite apart from the cheques, those two would be hopelessly out of place if they went first. They’d be terribly embarrassed and unhappy,” Janice explained. “I know their people said they must come second and not steerage, and I think that’s wise, for Boniface is old and may need to be looked after, and Lavinia’s so desperately young. They’re a weird couple! But first class wouldn’t do for them at all. And do you think, any of you, that I could pretend to be taking care of them, and then when we reached the docks calmly say, ‘Now, this is my part of the ship and that’s yours, and I can come and speak to you, but you mustn’t come to me’? Do you think I could be such a snob?”

  “Of course you couldn’t! You never would!” Jen cried.

  “I shall tell Alec all about it when I get home, but in the meantime I shall have to keep it dark.”

  “Then you’ll really do it?” Joy asked. “I’m afraid I should want to swank in the first class. It’s jolly nice of you!”

  “Second class is all right. There’s nothing wrong with it,” Janice said. “I’m used to the other, but in this case there isn’t any choice.”

  “I’m afraid there isn’t. It’s terribly good of you, Jandy,” Joan said earnestly.

  “I think it’s perfectly noble!” Jen proclaimed. “To go the wrong way, and the wrong class, just for Boniface and Lavinia, is the noblest deed I ever knew!”

  “Don’t be mad!” Janice laughed indignantly. “The second class part is only for the first few days—just as far as Montreal. If I can’t stand it for five or six days, I must be very hard to please. And I’m not. We shall be all right; you needn’t worry about us. I rather hope Boniface will be a little sea-sick and have to lie down a good deal, so that Vinny and I can roam about together. I’ve an idea that Lavinia on a liner may be rather fun. And she’s going to look quite presentable, thanks to you people. I shall tackle her English and give her lessons. She’s quick, so she may speak quite well by the time we reach Montreal.”

  “She never says ’as how’ now,” Jen said eagerly. “You’ll reform her, Jandy. I hope you will.”

  “People will think we’re an odd crowd, but I can explain that I’m seeing the Babes in the Wood safely to their relations. Anybody can see they need it! I’ll do it, Joan; I’m sure it’s right. I’ll give up Suez—not that I ever want to see Suez again! But it stands for the whole route. I’ll go by the Rockies and the Pacific and choose my future home. Shall we tell Boniface? Or shall I phone and book the berths?”

  “Let’s tell him now!” Jen jumped up in excitement. “I want to hear what he says! Let’s go at once! Oh, Jandy Mac, all our troubles are solved by your being so utterly noble and kind!”

  “Jen, don’t be an ass!”

  “But it is kind,” Joan said, more gently. “I don’t know how to say all I feel, Jandy. We’ve a lot of jolly things by which to remember your visit, but this last is one of the very best. We’ll never forget your kindness.”

  “What’s that quotation about ‘Nothing in life became him like his way of leaving it’? That’s not right, but something like that,” Joy said. “Jandy Mac has done a lot for us and given us a lot of things, but this—her way of leaving us—is quite one of the best.”

  “I’m not going to die!” Janice protested.

  “It’s the same thing, so far as we’re concerned. You’re going to be married, and you’ll vanish to the other side of the world, and we shall never see you again. Oh, well! It’s been very pleasant meeting you, Janice Macdonald!”

  “Joy, don’t be mad!” Joan exclaimed. “We shan’t lose her. She’ll write to us, and some day Jandy Mac will come back.”

  “Bringing a large and interesting family to show us! But it won’t be the same. And she’ll forget to write.”

  “I hope you’ll write to me. If you don’t, I certainly won’t write to you,” Janice retorted.

  “Come and tell Boniface! Never mind Jandy’s future! I’m sure she’ll come back some day. Come on, all of you!” And Jen raced to the door.

  CHAPTER XXXI

  THE BABES IN THE WOOD SET OUT

  Boniface broke down in earnest, when at last he grasped what was going to happen.

  “I wants to go terrible bad! Oh, Miss Joan, I does want to see my girl and the little ’uns! But I were feart o’ that ship. If you’ll be there too, Miss Janice, you as kno
ws about ships, we’ll be safe, Vinny and me. And I’ll see my Annie and the grandchilder, and Vinny’ll go to her dad. Oh, Miss Janice, I ain’t got no words to tell you what I feels!”

  “Then I’ll go and make the arrangements,” Janice said cheerfully. “Now, Boniface, Lavinia can be ready at any time. What about you? You haven’t much packing to do, have you?”

  “He needs a new warm overcoat, and a cap and scarf for the voyage,” Joan said. “Ann Watson will pack for him; she has looked at his things, and they’re in good order, and he has enough for the present. It’s not like Lavinia, who had grown out of almost all her clothes. We must take him to Wycombe to buy a coat, but that’s the chief thing he’ll need. He has a good, strong trunk.”

  “Get him a big suitcase for the journey,” Janice said, as they went back to the house, leaving Boniface, tremulous with joy and very great relief, to tell the news to Ann Watson. “I hope he’ll retire to his bunk and stay there! I shall urge it on him; I feel Boniface may be a bit of a trial for five days on end. I’ll ring up about berths, and we’ll cable to Lavinia’s dad to meet us, as soon as we know our dates. I’ll write to the Montreal uncle, telling him I’m coming; and then we’ll have an orgy of packing.”

  Lavinia’s delight was as great as Boniface’s had been.

  “I didn’ feel as how—oh, I’m sorry! I didn’ feel Uncle Bonny would take care o’ me prop’ly; he don’t know nothing about ships. But Miss Janice, she knows it all. We’ll be a’ right with her. It’s dreadful kind of her to go with us. Will she get home goin’ our way?”

  “Eventually,” said Joy.

  “Some day.” Joan translated for Lavinia’s benefit. “And she’ll see her uncle and aunty, whom she doesn’t know. That will be nice for her, won’t it?”

  “I don’t see how anybody can expect me to go back to school to-night, with all this excitement going on,” Jen grumbled. “As for thinking about lessons, I simply can’t. You’ll let me come to say good-bye to the Babes in the Wood, won’t you?”

  “They couldn’t possibly go away without seeing you again,” Joan assured her. “I shall come to school and tell Miss Macey the whole story, and beg her to let us have you for a day or two, when the travellers are on the point of sailing. And you’re coming here for week-ends quite often, you know.”

  “You are nice to me!” Jen sighed contentedly. “I’m sure I don’t know why! It will be horrible not having you at school. You had measles for most of last term; I think you should come back till Christmas, to make up for it.”

  “And leave Jandy on Mother’s hands?”

  “You could come when Jandy goes away. I know you know a lot, but I don’t believe Joy does.”

  “Joy’s going to work hard at music, and I’m going to look after Mother,” Joan said. “It was because of her illness in the summer that we decided definitely not to go back to school. But I shall come often, to see how you’re all getting on, and we’ll always be at dance-evenings. I wonder who will be the next Queen?”

  “Nesta,” Jen said simply.

  “You seem very sure about it! It’s a long time till May.”

  “You wait and see. I know it will be Nesta. Everybody wants her.”

  “That’s a good reason,” Joan agreed.

  “Old Beetle’s going to be her maid. If she’s chosen, Nesta’ll be the Silver Queen.”

  “Nesta had better remember it’s only ‘if’, for a good many months yet. What flower would she choose, as a Silver Queen?”

  “Honesty; the thing with white seed-pods, like silver pennies. But they won’t show on a silver train, so she’ll have a purple border, the colour of honesty flowers, and the silver pennies will be scattered along the edge. It sounds jolly fine.”

  “It’s an original choice,” Joan commented. “But Nesta shouldn’t talk about it until she’s really chosen Queen.”

  “Oh, she doesn’t. She keeps on shutting us up. But we want her, so we talk about it.”

  “Don’t overdo it!” Joan advised.

  Janice, her mind at last made up, became her cheerful self again, and planned and worked, shopped for her trousseau and packed, and pored over maps and pamphlets from the steamship companies, driving Joy to wildest envy by her talk of the Rocky Mountains, the Canadian lakes and prairies and forests, and the lovely islands of the Pacific.

  “If you don’t take care, I shall throw over Aunty and Joan and come with you,” Joy threatened. “I’m going round the world some day. I’ll love to travel! I want to start at once. You’re jolly lucky to be seeing so much at your age.”

  “I’ll send you a picture postcard from the most beautiful place I see,” Janice teased. “I wish we could start! I want to get my Babes in the Wood safely across before the autumn gales begin.”

  Jen, struggling with history and geometry at school and not in the least interested in either or in any other subject, came to the Hall for week-ends and entered into the excitement and heard all the plans, and joyfully examined Jandy’s choice of clothes for her trousseau. Then, one great day, Miss Macey sent for her and told her the car from the Hall would fetch her that afternoon.

  “Oh, good! Are they going at last?” she cried, knowing that the Head understood.

  “I believe they sail to-morrow,” Miss Macey explained.

  “Hop in, Jenny-Wren!” Joy opened the car door. “No time to lose! We didn’t want to snatch you from your studies till the last moment.”

  “I wish you’d bagged me sooner.” Jen sprang in beside her. “Is everything ready? When do they go?”

  “Early to-morrow. We’ve sent off the luggage. I’m going to escort them to the docks and see them on board, because I’m dying to have a look at the ship.”

  “Can’t we all go?”

  “Joan won’t come. She doesn’t like tearful farewells in public, so she’ll say good-bye at the house and stay with Aunty. You can do as you like, but if you come it will be a squeeze. We really ought to have a bigger car! You’ll need to sit on Jandy’s lap; I shall take Lavinia on my knee.”

  Jen considered the matter. “I’d like to see the ship, but I wouldn’t like the good-byes; I agree with Joan. I shall stay with her.”

  “I’m tough; I shan’t weep! But I’ll be sorry to see the last of Jandy Mac.”

  “I suppose Vinny will come in the morning?”

  “Vinny’s going to tuck in with Susie for the night; she’s said good-bye to King’s Bottom. You’ll notice I don’t say ‘to sleep with Susie’, for I don’t believe they will. Lavinia’s in a state of wild thrills; they’ll whisper all night. Uncle Bonny will come from the Abbey at eight o’clock; we’re having very early breakfast. As for to-night——!” And Joy paused mysteriously.

  “What about to-night? Anything special? Oh, Joy, tell me!”

  “A farewell feast; a very high tea for the travellers and speeches in their honour. Then early bed for everybody.”

  “Oh, what a good idea! I’m glad you’ve asked me!”

  “As if we could do without you!” Joy teased.

  Lavinia, looking really pretty in her new red travelling-frock, and Boniface, very spruce in his best suit, were waiting to greet her at the Hall.

  “We’re goin’ to-morrer, Miss Jen! Miss Janice’ll take care of us on the ship,” Vinny shouted, her face blazing with excitement. “See my red beads! Aren’t they pretty?”

  “There’s a message from my Annie. She’ll meet me at the other place.” Boniface was tremulous with delight.

  “A cable.” Joan smiled at Jen. “Annie is so pleased he’s coming. Now for tea!”

  The very high tea was waiting, the table spread with all sorts of good things. Jen, fresh from school fare, delightedly did full justice to these, and Jandy’s appetite was not in the least affected by the coming departure, but the other travellers were far too excited to eat much, though Lavinia’s eyes glittered at sight of the heaped table.

  “Just as well, perhaps,” Janice murmured to Joy. “They’ll probably be sea-sick.”r />
  Joan rose to say a few words of good wishes. Joy followed, prophesying a jolly voyage and a happy meeting with friends. Mrs. Shirley very quietly reminded everyone of Jandy’s coming marriage and wished her every happiness in her new life.

  “Hear, hear!” Jen cried. “I haven’t prepared a speech, but I do hope you’ll all be just terribly happy, and I’m sure and certain you will. Jandy Mac deserves all the happiness there is, and I expect she’ll get it, though I don’t see how her Alec can be half good enough for her.” And she sat down, crimson and excited, while everybody laughed at Jandy’s burning face.

  Then an astonished silence fell, for Boniface Browning was on his feet. “I just wants to say ‘thank you’ to all you kind folks,” he quavered. “I’m so happy, right now, to be going to my girl that I got no words to say how I feels.”

  “Same from me!” Lavinia cried. “Thank you, Miss Joan and Miss Jen and Miss Joy and the lady, but most of all, thanks to Miss Janice for taking care of us.”

  “Well done, Lavinia!” Joan said. “Remember, all of you, that we want to have news of you, so you must write and tell us how you’re getting on. We shan’t forget any of you! Especially you, Jandy Mac. Don’t forget the Abbey when you settle down on your Island! Now off to bed, Lavinia! Back to the Abbey for one more night, Boniface! Don’t be late in the morning!”

  It seemed a very little while till the early breakfast, and then Joan and Jen stood on the terrace, waving as the laden car set out, and Susie hung from a bedroom window, shouting farewells.

  When the car had disappeared down the beech avenue, Jen turned to Joan, her face radiant. “Aren’t they all happy? Nobody cried! I wonder if we’ll ever hear how they get on?”

  “Jandy Mac will write. I don’t expect much from Boniface or Lavinia.”