by L. T. Meade
CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE CROSS.
Never had Augusta looked so well as she did that night. She dancedquite beautifully, and was really a brilliant young mistress of theceremonies. Many were the admiring glances cast at her, and loud theadmiration she evoked. For the time being Augusta was unselfish. Shethought of the comfort and pleasure of her guests. She managed to makethe awkward ones feel at ease, and the shy ones feel at home; at thesame time she kept the too forward children in order--in short, shewas invaluable.
Uncle Peter was especially struck both by her conduct and herappearance.
"She really is a fine girl," he said to himself. "There is somethingwonderfully taking about her to-night; and how good she is, andself-forgetful! I shall have more pleasure than I had the least ideaof a few hours ago in presenting her with the Royal Cross."
As these thoughts came to him, he observed that Augusta was standingwhere the full draught of the open door blew upon her thinevening-dress. She shivered, and sank down on the nearest chair.
Captain Richmond immediately went to her side.
"Augusta," he said, "have you a dance to spare for me? You haven'tgiven me one yet."
"I can give you the present one," she replied at once, "if you willsit it out with me."
"With pleasure! Where shall we go? You are in a fearful draught justhere, and you look positively cold."
"I am shivering," replied Augusta. "Let us go to the conservatory."
They went there. The conservatory was too hot for many people on thissummer's night, and was comparatively empty. Augusta sank down on aseat.
"I will get you a wrap," said the Captain. "You ought not to feel coldon a night like this."
"Oh, I am quite all right," she answered. "Don't leave me; let us sitdown and talk. You are very fond of Nancy, are you not?"
"Of course; we all are," he replied.
"I should like to say----" stammered Augusta.
"What, my dear?"
She paused and looked full at her questioner.
"This," she said: "you know I am not an especially nice girl, but Ican admire goodness when I see it in others. Now, no one was ever halfso good as Nancy; and even if appearances seem to have been againsther, she was far and away the best of us all.--Oh, what am I saying?What utter nonsense am I talking? Will you take me back to theballroom, please? I would not miss the next waltz for anything."
"I will take you back when you have explained your last words."
"There is nothing to explain--nothing at all. I spoke quite at random.Dear little Nancy! I am as fond of her as you are."
"Listen, Augusta," said the Captain. "I didn't mean to confide in you,but I will. You know of the little ceremony which is to take placeto-night when the dance is over. We are to go into the innerdrawing-room, and there it will be decided, from what I shall readaloud out of the orderly-book, which of you four girls is to receivethe Royal Cross."
"Of course; I know that," answered Augusta.
"Yes; but listen. There is an entry in the orderly-book againstNancy's name which puts her out of the running."
"Puts her out of the running!" whispered Augusta. Her very lips werewhite.
Captain Richmond's eyes seemed like gimlets piercing into her soul.
"There is a charge against Nancy which, made against any child, wouldcondemn her--condemn her so utterly that one could not think of her asa winner of that great prize which means nobleness of conduct, valour,and all the rest. Augusta, you will all know soon, but it does notmatter my telling you an hour or so before the others. NancyEsterleigh is charged with _cruelty_. Can you, Gussie, help me tothrow light upon, in her case, such an unnatural accusation?"
There was a wild beating in Augusta's ears; her head ached so terriblythat she was almost giddy, and a cold chill ran down her back. Sheturned aside and plucked a geranium blossom from a great floweringbush near by.
"Can you?" said the Captain again.
"No. How is it possible? The accusation has astonished me."
"There is also that curious thing which happened with regard to herbird. Can you throw any light upon that?"
"No--no; a thousand times no. What do you take me for? Do you think Iwould let little Nancy suffer _if_ I could help her?"
"Of course not," said the Captain coldly. "I think the dance has cometo an end. May I take you back to the ballroom?"
For the rest of that evening Augusta was not still for a singlemoment. When she was not dancing she was walking about. Her laughcould be heard gay, almost shrill. Her cheeks wore pink with the flushof fever, which those who saw her mistook for health. She was far andaway the most successful girl at the dance. Even Nancy, beautifullittle girl as she was, and lovely as she looked in the new frock, wasnot to be compared with her.
But all good things, as well as bad things, come to an end, andby-and-by the ball was over. The party broke up; the young folk put ontheir wraps, said good-bye to their hosts, and left Fairleigh. Thelast sound of the last carriage-wheel died away. The four girls, MissRoy, and Captain Richmond faced each other. It was on the stroke ofmidnight.
"How tired you all look!" said Miss Roy. "Shall we defer the furtherceremony until to-morrow?"
"No," said Captain Richmond; "this is the appointed day. Come at once,all of you."
The servants were rushing about, locking up and putting things inorder. Captain Richmond conducted his party to the front drawing-room,and turned the key in the lock. The electric light made the roombright as day. The windows looking on to the lawn were wide open. Whenthey all entered the room, Captain Richmond opened the drawer, thelock of which had been injured by Augusta, and took the orderly-bookout. At the same moment he put his hand in his pocket and produced asmall morocco case, which he laid on the table.
"Now, my little soldiers," he said, "the crucial moment of ourcampaign has arrived. You have been under my command, and have alsobeen disciplined by my good ally, Sergeant Roy, for the last fewmonths; and, on the whole, I trust you feel better, morally andphysically, for the soldier's life."
"Oh yes, indeed!" cried Nora. "We like it awfully. I hope we are notgoing to cease to be soldiers to-night, Uncle Pete."
"Certainly not, Nora. In one sense you must always be soldiers, butwhether you remain in my battalion will depend a great deal onyourselves. But now to business; you are tired, and we must notlinger. This book gives, in a condensed form, the history of yourlives from the moment you enlisted under my banner. Now then, soldiersof the True Blue, we will see what it says about you."
Here Captain Richmond opened the book. He looked quickly down thepages which related to Nora's life.
"An excellent report on the whole, Nora," he said when he hadfinished, "but conduct not immaculate--a few errors, dear, in the formof untidy rooms, lost property, and forgotten duties. Nothing exactlyserious, but"----
The Captain's "but" was emphatic. Nora turned from pink to white.
"I knew it," she said to her sister. "I never, never expected"----
"Hush!" said Kitty, "Uncle Pete is speaking again."
"Kitty, on the whole you have done better than Nora. Your industry hasbeen unparalleled, and, in short, I think you are deserving of aprize. If you hadn't been so inveterately careless, my little girl,there might have been a chance of my giving you _the_ prize. Butsee here, Kit--here, and here, and here." The Captain laid his fingeragainst certain marks in Kitty's record.
Kitty coloured and stepped back.
"I deserve them all," she said.
"Well, that is something worth hearing," he answered with heartiness,"for when we know our faults, then is the time when we begin to mendthem.--Now then, Nancy."
Nancy was standing by an open window. Her face looked serene andquiet. She did not for a moment think that she would win the RoyalCross; but, at the same time, she did not think there could be anygrave charge chronicled against her name.
"Nancy, I have something sad to say to you," said the Captain, goingforward and taking her hand in his
as he spoke. "Even still I thinkthere must be some explanation."
"What--what," cried Nancy--"what do you mean?"
"Don't tremble so, Nancy. Listen. Your conduct has beenirreproachable, and your struggle to maintain a high level in moralsand intellect very great; but, alas! on one occasion you fell--a gooddeep fall, Nancy--you fell from a high ladder."
"I fell from a height! Oh, what do you mean?"
She looked wildly at Augusta, who glanced at Miss Roy. Miss Roy turnedaside; Augusta's bold eyes were fixed upon her face.
"I have fallen from a height! When? Where? How?"
"Here," said the Captain; "see for yourself. Every one need not know,but you must know; read for yourself."
Dizzily the little girl bent her head. For a moment she could seenothing. Then she read, as though they were written in letters offire, the dreadful words, "Guilty of cruelty."
She read this aloud and flung back her head.
"_That_ I have never been guilty of. It is a _lie_; it is ablack lie. I have never been cruel in all my life."
The Captain sighed.
"It is in Aunt Jessie's own handwriting. I am afraid there is norefuge from this storm. You had better not add to"----
"Oh! don't say any more; I cannot--cannot stand it," said the child.
She was about to rush through the open window, when Augusta steppedforward and held her hand.
"Be quiet," she said--"for my sake."
Again the extraordinary influence which Augusta had over the littlegirl made itself felt. Nancy stood still, allowing Augusta to hold herhand within her own hot clasp; she partly turned her back upon theothers.
"There is no bad mark against your name, Augusta," said the Captainafter a pause, his voice slightly shaking. "All through these monthsof training and discipline your conduct has been admirable. You havebeen industrious; you have been courteous; you have been kind. Youhave, I doubt not, been also unselfish; therefore I proclaim you thehappy possessor of the Royal Cross. Come here and let me fasten itround your neck."
Augusta came totteringly forward. All eyes were fixed upon her;Nancy's, no longer gentle, but fierce and defiant, were raised towatch her face, but Augusta would not now look at Nancy.
The Royal Cross was made of deep-blue enamel, inlaid in rich silver.It was in the shape of an Irish cross, and was very beautiful. On itwere engraved the words, _For valour in the fight_. The cross wasattached to a narrow silver chain. Captain Richmond slipped the chainround Augusta's throat, and the deep-blue cross shone on her barewhite neck.
Just then, before any one could speak, there came on the air the soundof a tolling bell. It was distinctly audible. It tolled three timesand then stopped, three times again and then stopped, and then threetimes once more.
"Some woman has died, poor thing!" said the Captain.
Then the solemn notes rang out again. They sounded sixteen times.
Augusta uttered a cry.
"It is Connie!" she said. "Oh, what shall I do?"
The next instant the wretched girl had fallen in a dead faint on thefloor.