by L. T. Meade
know, I'm sure. I'm very sorry," said Nesta. "I'm allthumbs--I have always said so. I suppose it's because I'm soridiculously young."
Mrs Aldworth scolded in the fretful way in which she could scold; thegirls between them managed to move the sofa, and after a time peace wasrestored; but the room was disorderly, and the crooked blind wobbling ina most disreputable manner against the partly opened window, did notimprove its appearance.
"What will you do, mother?" said Nesta. "Do tell us what you will do?"
"Well," said Mrs Aldworth, "I shall insist firmly on obedience."
"There's no use coercing her too roughly, mother; there really isn't,"said Molly. "She will simply do what she said."
"You leave her to me, dears. When does her so-called duty recommence?"
"To-morrow afternoon, mother, Ethel will look after you to-morrowmorning," said Nesta, in some terror for fear the unwelcome task shoulddevolve on herself.
"Yes, of course, Ethel will take her turn," said Molly, then she added,glancing at Nesta, "and it will be your turn on the followingafternoon."
"Oh, but I cannot possibly come then, for I have promised to go for awalk with Flossie Griffiths. It has been such a looked-forward-totreat. Mother, you couldn't deprive me of the pleasure."
"I tell you it will be all right by then," said Mrs Aldworth. "Now, goaway, Nesta, your voice is much too loud, and remember, that after allit is a great privilege for you to have a mother to attend to when sheis so devoted to you."
"Yes, yes, darling; yes, yes," said Nesta.
She kissed the hot cheek again and went slowly out of the room. In thepassage, however, she uttered a low whoop of rejoicing at her recoveredliberty, and a minute later she flew down the garden path to enjoyherself in the swing.
CHAPTER FIVE.
SEEKING SYMPATHY.
The Carters were a numerous family. They lived about a mile away fromthe Aldworths. The Aldworths lived in a small house in the town and theCarters in a large country place with spacious grounds and everyimaginable luxury. Mr Carter had suddenly made a great pile of moneyin iron, had retired to private life, and had given his six childreneverything that money could buy. The Carters conducted themselvesalways according to their special will; they had no mother to look afterthem, their mother having died when Penelope, the youngest girl, was ababy. There were two sons in the family and four daughters. The sonswere called Jim and Harry, the girls were Clara, Mabel, Annie, andPenelope. They were ordinary, good-natured, good-humoured sort ofgirls; they took life easily. Clara, the eldest, believed herself to bethe mistress of the house, and a very sorry mistress she would have madebut for the fact that there was an invaluable old nurse, a servant, whohad lived with Mrs Carter before she died, and who really held thehousehold reins. This kind-hearted, motherly body kept the young peoplein check, although she never appeared to cross them. They consulted herwithout knowing that they did so. She superintended the servants; shesaw to the linen press; she arranged the food; she kept all the supplieswith a liberal hand, and gave Clara and the other girls _carte blanche_with regard to what they might do with their time, and when they mightentertain their friends.
The old house, Court Prospect by name, on account of its extensive view,was very suitable for entertainments. Once it had been the property ofa gracious and noble family; but hard times had come upon them and SirJohn St Just had been glad to receive the money which the rich MrCarter was prepared to offer. In consequence, the St Justs haddisappeared from the neighbourhood. Beautiful Angela St Just no longerdelighted the people when she walked down the aisle of the littlevillage church. She no longer sang with a voice which seemed to theparishioners like that of an angel, in the choir. She went away withher father, and the Carters, it must be owned, had a bad time of itduring the first year of their residence at Court Prospect.
But money can effect wonders. The place was according to the Carters'ideas completely renovated. The hideous, ugly out-of-date furniture wasreplaced by maple with plush and gilt and modern taste. The gardenswere laid out according to the ideas of a landscape gardener who hadcertainly never consulted the true ideas of Nature. Some of the oldtimber had been cut down to enlarge the view, as Clara expressed it.
This young lady was now exactly eighteen years of age. She was out, andso was her twin sister, Mabel. Annie, who was only seventeen, was stillsupposed to be in the school-room, but she was very much _en evidence_at all the parties and entertainments; but Penelope, who was onlyfourteen, was obliged to be to a certain extent under tutelage.
The Carters' ball, or rather, as they expressed it themselves, theirlittle impromptu dance, had been the talk of all the girls and young menwho were lucky enough to be invited to it. It was a great honour to beintimate with the Carters; they were jolly, good-natured girls, andcertainly without a trace of snobbishness in their compositions. Theywere so rich that they did not want to be bothered, as they expressedit, with monied people; they liked to choose their own friends. Mollyand Ethel and Nesta had attracted Clara and Mabel some time ago, andtheir brothers, too, had considered the girls very pretty; for the youngAldworths were of the laughing, joking, gay sort of girls, who couldtalk in a pert, frank fashion; who were not troubled with an overplus ofbrains, and, in consequence, were exceedingly popular with certainindividuals.
It was to visit the Carters, therefore, and to unburden her mind of itsload, that Ethel, with her aching head, proceeded to go on this hotsummer afternoon. She found the girls and two boy friends from theneighbourhood having tea under the wide-spreading cedar tree on thelawn. This cedar tree had been the pride of Sir John St Just, but MrCarter seriously thought of cutting it down in order to still furtherenlarge the view; therefore the poor old cedar was at present onsufferance, and the young people were enjoying its shade when Ethelappeared with crimson cheeks, and eyes which still bore traces of theheavy tears which she had shed. They jumped up, and Mabel ran to meether.
"This is good; and so you have followed your horrid, detestable note.Why, of course, you are coming to-night. Clara and I won't hear of arefusal."
"We cannot, really," said Ethel. "We can't either of us come."
"Let me introduce you to Mr John and Mr Henry Grace," said Mabel,bringing Ethel up to the rest of the party.
"Have some tea, Ethel, do," said Clara, holding out her hand a littlelanguidly. "How awfully hot you look."
Ethel sank down on a chair which one of the others had vacated andallowed herself to be cooled and petted. Clara suddenly began on thesubject of the ball.
"What a queer note you sent; what does it all mean?" she asked.
"I will tell you afterwards; I have come over to explain," said Ethel,"if I can see you--you and dear Mabel for a few minutes alone before Ileave."
"Dear me, what is the mystery?" said Jim, who had flung himself on thegrass. "Why can't you tell us all? It would be no end of a lark.Another rumpus with the mother. Is she more cantankerous than ever?"
"No, mother is quite nice, particularly nice," said Ethel, who had oftenexplained to the young Carters what a trial her mother was.
"Well, then, come and have a game," said Jim. "Come along, do, andforget all the worries. If it isn't the mother it can't be anythingvery serious."
"Yes, but it is, and I cannot tell you," said Ethel.
She looked so forlorn that everyone present pitied her. Her soft browneyes filled with sudden tears and overflowed.
"Oh, how my head is aching. I've been lying down all the afternoon. Ijust managed to come out to tell you, for I felt you must know."
"Is it as bad as that? Then we had best make ourselves scarce," saidJim. "Come along, let us go away, we who are the unfavoured; we'llleave the select few to listen to confidences."
A game of tennis was presently in active progress, Clara and Mabel, whoboth longed to join, did not feel too sympathetic.
"Well," said Clara, "whatever is it? Do tell all. If you won't cometo-night and you won't play, why--"
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sp; "Oh, you mean me to go," said Ethel. "It's always like that--I mighthave expected it."
"Oh, no; don't go," said Mabel, who was more good-natured than hersister, "that is," she corrected herself, "if we can do anything to helpyou."
"I must tell you--I won't keep you more than a few minutes. You knowMarcia--you have heard of her?"
"Of your elder sister? Oh, how funny! There came a letter yesterdayfrom Colonel St Just to father, and he said that his sister, MrsSilchester, is coming to spend the holidays with them, and that she hadmentioned your sister, Miss Marcia Aldworth. She said what a splendidgirl she was. Colonel St Just told