CHAPTER XIX L'Envoi to Glorious France
A short time after, trunks were being brought down from the attic of thehouse at Versailles and being gradually packed. Other arrangements werealso being made in a leisurely fashion for the closing of the house whichMiss Patricia had rented only for a season.
She had grown impatient to return to her work in the devastated districtsof France, for now that the war was over the appeal for food and otheraid was growing more insistent than ever, and idleness, such as she feltthe months at Versailles had represented, at no time really interestedMiss Patricia Lord.
Captain Richard Burton had arrived in Versailles a week before and wascompelled to leave for England within a short time on a special missionfor the Red Cross.
The Camp Fire girls were therefore separating for the first time in manymonths, since Vera Lagerloff and Alice Ashton were to accompany Miss Lordand continue the relief work in France, while the other girls were goingwith Captain and Mrs. Burton to spend the summer in England.
Apparently definite arrangements of some character had been made for eachperson who shared Miss Patricia's hospitality during the memorable springin France, save the two members of her household, Marguerite Arnot andJulie Dupont and the new group of French Camp Fire girls, the littleFrench midinettes, for whom Miss Patricia was acting as Camp Fireguardian and whom she apparently had taken under her special protection.
On this morning Marguerite Arnot and Julie Dupont were both at work inthe big room which had been devoted to their use ever since theirinstallation at the house in Versailles. At the same time they hadcontinued their work they had received a generous recompense for theirservice, so that, as the two girls had been at no expense, they bothpossessed more money than at any previous time in their lives.
Julie was too young to do sewing of an important character; at presentshe was engaged in pulling basting threads from an evening dress of Mrs.Burton's in which Marguerite Arnot had made a slight alteration.
She was frowning with her dark, heavy brows drawn close together and herlips puckered, yet in spite of her evident bad temper, she lookedprettier and in better health than in a long time.
"I have something to tell you, Marguerite," she began, "although you neednot offer me advice in return.
"Your friend, Miss Lord, invited me into her room last night and told meshe would pay my expenses at a boarding school for the next two years ifI chose to go. The school would not be an expensive one, as she had manyother demands upon her fortune which she plainly considered moreimportant. She also announced that I particularly required a disciplinewhich I had never received. Did you know, Marguerite, that Miss Lord hasalso asked the group of girls with whom I used to live, her own FrenchCamp Fire group, to go with her to work among the poor children in thedevastated country? They are to sew for the poor and help in any waypossible in order that they may be trained perhaps as teachers for thehome for orphan children which Miss Lord hopes at some future time toestablish in France."
Marguerite Arnot stopped sewing for a moment.
"I trust you accepted Miss Lord's offer, Julie. You will probably neverhave another such opportunity in your life and Miss Patricia is rightwhen she says you are in need of discipline. How little like a fairygodmother Miss Patricia looks and yet what wonderful things she does foreverybody!"
"Yes, for everybody except you, Marguerite Arnot, and yet I once thoughtyou were her favorite. If it were not for _you_ I should accept MissLord's offer; I am not so stupid that I do not realize what even twoyears of education may do toward giving me a better start in life.Besides, I know my father would have wished me to accept; he was alwaysinsisting that I had no proper education without making the effort to seethat I did have one. Really, Marguerite, I think you might have donesomething for yourself, so that I should not have to worry over you.'
In spite of Julie's absurdity, the older girl smiled and sighed almost inthe same instant, since even so unreasonable an affection was not to bedisregarded.
"I don't know just what remarkable future you think I should have workedout for myself in the past few months, Julie. Just the same I think I cancontinue to make my living without your sacrificing yourself. Perhapswith your cleverness and with Miss Patricia to help you by paying foryour schooling you may turn out to be a famous woman some day and be ableto care for me after all! I am not so clever as you are!"
Julie nodded.
"No, you are not, that is why I am so anxious for you to marry. Youreally need some one to look after you. It was for that reason I arrangedfor you to go to the Queen's secret garden. I have been hoping Mr. Halewould become more interested in you, but I'm afraid after all he prefersMiss Graham. You would have liked him to care for you, wouldn't you,Marguerite?"
Julie's state of mind, her amazing candor were the attributes of athoroughly untrained child, nevertheless Marguerite Arnot's long patiencecould endure no more.
"Never make a speech of that kind to me again as long as you live, Julie.But one thing I would like to understand. What do you mean by saying youarranged for me to go to the Queen's secret garden? Was I invited by Mrs.Burton, Bettina Graham, or Mr. Hale?"
Julie shrugged her little French shoulders.
"You were invited by no one of them, your invitation came from me. Isimply pretended to you that you were asked, thinking you might make thebest of the opportunity. But since you had an agreeable time and nothinghappened I don't see the difference."
Annoyed by her older friend's manner Julie had begun her speech in anger,but at its conclusion she was also a little frightened.
Without replying Marguerite Arnot arose and left the room.
In Mrs. Burton's sitting-room, she was fortunate enough to discover bothMrs. Burton and Bettina Graham, who had been reading a letter togetherand discussing it.
"I am so glad it is you, Marguerite," Mrs. Burton declared, as Margueriteentered after knocking. "Bettina and I were just planning to send for youto ask if you would have a talk with us. I suppose you know that AuntPatricia and I have been arguing as to whether you are to stay with herin France for the relief work or to come to England for the summer withme. But as a matter of fact Aunt Patricia really agrees with me and weboth feel you have worked long enough for the time being and are in needof a real holiday. So first of all, will you come with us to England,Marguerite, as one of my Camp Fire girls? Afterwards, Bettina's mother,who is my dearest friend and the most charming woman in the worldbesides, wishes you to come to the United States if you like and first ofall to her home in Washington. The opportunities for your work ought tobe better in the United States in the next few years than in France, andMrs. Graham will be able to give you a start in Washington and take careof you and be very grateful to you in the bargain."
"But Mrs Burton," Marguerite protested, a little overcome by so muchgenerosity and such a bewildering number of opportunities, "you will begood enough to give me time to think over what you have proposed. Ofcourse I know I shall love to go to England for the summer, but theUnited States seems so far away. What I really came down to see you forwas to apologize; I did not know until a moment ago that no one of youinvited me on your excursion to the Queen's garden the other afternoon.It was a wretched mistake and I'm sorry, I can't explain exactly whathappened or why I thought I was asked without involving some one else."
"Then don't attempt it for goodness sake, Marguerite, because it wasdelightful to have you!" Bettina answered quickly, sympathizing with theother girl's embarrassment, although not understanding the situation.
"It was really a piece of good fortune, wasn't it after all, Marguerite,a piece of good fortune for me, since it afforded me my only chance for atalk with you alone since our acquaintance?" Mrs. Burton added. "Now youtwo girls please go away and leave me, because I have some most importantwork to do. I must write Madame Clermont instructions and suggestionsregarding the future of the Camp Fire organization in France."
Ten days later
, accompanied by Marguerite Arnot and five of the AmericanCamp Fire girls, Captain and Mrs. Burton sailed for England.
They were crossing from Boulogne to Folkestone on a late springafternoon; it was toward the close of a warm and quiet day so that thewater was still and blue.
On this passage the little channel steamer was largely filled by Britishofficers and soldiers returning home after service in France.
As the boat pushed off from the French shore a farewell shout rang outfrom the people crowding the dock; from somewhere back in the old Frenchtown a Cathedral bell began chiming an evening hymn.
A British officer chanced to be standing beside Mrs. Burton, both of themleaning over the railing watching the receding line of shore.
"It has been a great adventure, Madame, a world adventure, this fightingfor brotherhood in France. I see you are an American woman, yet whetheror not one ever returns to these shores, the old axiom is now forevertrue, every one of us who has lived in France during the war willhenceforward have two countries--his own and Glorious France!"
The officer, lifting his hand, saluted the French shore.
Footnotes
[1]See "The Camp Fire Girls on the Field of Honor."
[2]See "The Camp Fire Girls on the Field of Honor."
[3]See "The Camp Fire Girls on the Field of Honor."
STORIES ABOUT CAMP FIRE GIRLS List of Titles in the Order of their Publication
The Camp Fire Girls at Sunrise Hill--1913 The Camp Fire Girls Amid the Snows--1913 The Camp Fire Girls in the Outside World--1914 The Camp Fire Girls Across the Sea--1914 The Camp Fire Girls' Careers--1915 The Camp Fire Girls in After Years--1915 The Camp Fire Girls on the Edge of the Desert--1917 The Camp Fire Girls at the End of the Trail--1917 The Camp Fire Girls Behind the Lines--1918 The Camp Fire Girls on the Field of Honor--1918 The Camp Fire Girls in Glorious France--1919
Transcriber's Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected palpable typos.
--Moved promotional material to the end of the text.
--Corrected inconsistently-cited book titles to match the actual book.
The Camp Fire Girls in Glorious France Page 19