words were more chilling thansilence.
"I do wish you were less impulsive and excitable, Claudia," she said."Of course I am pleased that you should take a good place, and all that;but I think it rather injudicious of the teachers to have begun praisingyou up so the first day. They would not have done so had you not beenmy niece. It is just what I was afraid of."
"Aunt Mildred, I assure you the German master knew nothing about who Iwas. And I feel sure he wouldn't have cared if he had known. And itwas more he than any one. Miss Lloyd is nice, but--she isn't at allgushing. She just told me quietly that so far as she could judge Ishould be in the highest classes, and--and that it was plain I had beenvery well taught."
Lady Mildred looked up sharply.
"You did not--I hope," she said, "you did not think it necessary toenlighten them as to who had been your teachers?"
"No," said Claudia, "I did not, because you had told me not to do so. Idon't know in any case that I should have done so, aunt, for though yousay I am so childish, I don't feel inclined to tell everything to peopleI don't know. Indeed I am not so silly, only--I couldn't help runningto tell _you_, just--just as I would have done to mamma," and Claudia'svoice quivered a little.
"Oh, well," said her aunt, "don't excite yourself about it. I am gladto see you have sense of your own--indeed, I always say you have if youwould only think a little. But you must learn to be less impulsive--youknow how entirely I forbid your making any friendships or intimaciesamong those girls. What are they like--pretty fair on the whole?"
"They were all very kind," began Claudia.
"Kind, child! Don't use such stupid words. Of course they will be allonly too civil. That's not the question. What sort of girls do theyseem?"
"Some seem very nice indeed," replied Miss Meredon. "The nicest lookingof all, indeed she is rather a peculiarly pretty girl--I never saw anyone quite like her, except--no, I don't remember who it can be shereminds me of. She has quite dark brown hair, and a rather browncomplexion, prettily brown, you know, and yet bright blue eyes. Hername is Charlotte Waldron."
"Humph!" said Lady Mildred, "like her father." She was not fond of MrWaldron's very "Osbert" characteristics, though she scarcely allowedeven to herself that he had any traceable connection with theSilverthorns' family.
"Oh, do you know them?" exclaimed Claudia, joyfully. "I felt sure whenI saw her that you could not object--"
"Nonsense, Claudia," Lady Mildred interrupted. "Her father is theWortherham lawyer, or _a_ Wortherham lawyer; no doubt there are plentyof them. And I should rather more object, if possible, to your makingfriends with this girl than with any others of the Wortherham misses.Mr Waldron has some little of the Silverthorns business, and I won'thave any gossiping about my affairs. You know the understanding onwhich you came to me?"
"Of course I do, dear aunt," Claudia replied. "I wish you would notthink because I say out to you whatever I feel that I have _any_ idea ofgoing against your wishes. I only meant that this girl looked so--itsounds rather vulgar to express it so, but it is the only way to sayit--she looks so completely a lady that I thought you would probably notmind my knowing her a little better than the others. I fancy we shallbe together in most of our lessons."
"So much the worse," thought Lady Mildred. "It is really very unlucky.I had no idea that Edward Waldron had a daughter old enough to be atschool."
But aloud, after a moment's silence, she remarked with a slight touch ofsarcasm in her tone,--
"So Miss Waldron also is a remarkably talented young person. She mustbe so if she is to rank with you, I suppose."
"Aunt Mildred!" exclaimed Claudia. In her place most girls of her age,Charlotte Waldron certainly, would have burst into tears, or left theroom in indignation, but this was fortunately not Claudia's "way." Sheforced back the momentary feeling of irritation, and answered brightly:"I know you are only teasing me, Aunt Mildred. You don't really thinkme so dreadfully conceited?"
Even Lady Mildred could not help relaxing.
"You are very sweet-tempered, my dear, whatever else you are or are not,and it is the best of all gifts." She sighed as she spoke.
"Now you will make me blush," said Claudia merrily.
"And was this Miss Waldron very `kind,' as you call it--very`_empressee_,' and all the rest of it?" Lady Mildred asked.
"No-o," answered Claudia, hesitating a little; "I can't say that shewas. Her manner is rather cold and reserved, but there is somethingvery nice about her. I am sure she would be very nice if one knew herbetter. Perhaps she is shy. I think that gave me the feeling ofwishing to be nice to her," she added naively.
"`Nice' in the sense of being civil and courteous, of course you mustbe. I trust you are quite incapable of being otherwise. And it is themost ill-bred and vulgar idea to suppose that the right way of keepingpeople in their places is by being _rude_ to them. That at once putsone _beneath_ them. But, on the other hand, that is a very differentthing from rushing into school-girl intimacies and bosom friendships,which I cannot have."
"I know," said Claudia, but though she sighed a little it was inaudibly."Aunt Mildred," she began again, half-timidly.
"Well?"
"Has the letter-bag gone? Can I possibly write to mamma to-night?"
"The post-bag has not gone, I believe," said Lady Mildred. "No doubtyou can write. I suppose you are in a fever to report the Germanmaster's compliments--if you think it amiable and considerate to leaveyour old aunt alone when she has been alone all day, instead of makingtea for her and sitting talking with her comfortably. But of course youvery intellectual young ladies now-a-days think such small attentions toold people quite beneath you. You will prefer to write in your ownroom, I suppose--you have a fire. I will send you up some tea if youwish it. May I trouble you to ring the bell?" But as Claudia, withoutspeaking, came forward to do so, Lady Mildred gave a little scream.
"Good gracious, child, you haven't taken off your waterproof, and youhave been standing beside me all this time with that soakingly wetcloak. If you are determined to kill yourself I object to your killingme too."
"It is scarcely wet, aunt," said Claudia, gently. "But I am very sorryall the same," and she left the room as she spoke.
"Why do I constantly vex her?" she said to herself, despairingly. "Imust be very stupid and clumsy. I do so want to please her, as papa andmamma said, not only because she is so good to us, but even more,because she is so lonely--poor Aunt Mildred. Of course my letter canwait till to-morrow. Oh, I know what I'll do--I'll be _very_ quiet, andI'll creep into the drawing-room behind Ball with the tea-tray, and AuntMildred will not know I'm there."
And the smiles returned to Claudia's face as she flew up-stairs andalong the gallery to her room. Such a pretty, comfortable room as itwas! A bright fire burned in the grate, her writing-table stoodtemptingly ready. Claudia would dearly have liked to have sat downthere and then, to rejoice the home hearts with her good news. Forthey, as well as she, had been awaiting rather anxiously the results ofher measuring her forces against those of her compeers. So muchdepended on the opinion of qualified and impartial judges as to hercapacities; for, as her mother had said laughingly,--
"It may be the old story of our thinking our goose a swan, you know,dear."
Yes, it would have been delightful to write off at once--a day soonerthan they had been expecting to hear. But the very sight of her roomconfirmed the girl in not yielding to the temptation, for it recalledLady Mildred's constant though undemonstrative kindness.
"No doubt it was she who told the servants to keep the fire up for fearI should be cold," she thought. "Dear me, how very good she is to me.How I wish mamma, and Lalage, and Alix, and all of them, for thatmatter, could see me here really like a little princess! But oh! how Iwish I could send some of all this luxury to them--if I could but senddear mamma a fire in _her_ room to-night! They won't even be allowingthemselves one in the drawing-room yet--they'll all be sitting togetherin the study. Monday evenin
g, poor papa's holiday evening, as he callsit."
All the time she was thus thinking she was taking off her things as fastas possible. In two minutes she was ready, her hair in order, therebellious curls in their place, her collar, and all the little detailsof her dress fit to stand the scrutiny of even Lady Mildred's sharpeyes; and as she flew down-stairs again, she met, as she had countedupon, the footman carrying in the tea-tray. The drawing-room was quitedark now, as far as light from outside was concerned, and Lady Mildred'slamp
Silverthorns Page 11