The Little School-Mothers
Page 30
trace of his ducking inthe pond was removed before the party returned from their picnic.
Harriet herself had remained much longer than Ralph in her wet things,but she also was in fresh garments when they stood holding each other'shands ready to welcome the others on their return.
Somehow, that ducking in the pond had quite managed to restore Harriet'sgood humour. She and Ralph now held a secret between them, and she wasfirmly convinced that his friendship for Robina must be seriouslyweakened thereby.
"Why, Ralph, my little man," said his father, "you do look well."
He was pleased to see how bright his little son's eyes were and what ahigh colour he had in his cheeks, and never guessed that the brightnessof the eyes was caused by slight fever, and that the pretty cheeks wereflushed for the same reason. At dinner time. Ralph, of his own accordelected to sit near Harriet, and at intervals during the meal hewhispered in her ear:
"None of them knew 'cept you and me I risked my life for you, and yourisked your life for me."
"Yes, yes," whispered Harriet back; "but none of the others must know.Don't say those words so loud, Ralph, or they will hear us."
Ralph snuggled close to Harriet, now in an ecstasy at the thought whichthe great secret they held between them caused. The rest of the day'sprogramme was carried out in all its entirety. But towards evening,Ralph's feverish symptoms had increased. During the picnic tea he wasunable to eat anything, and Harriet when questioned had to confess thather throat was sore.
The next day both Harriet and Ralph were ill, but Harriet was much worsethan Ralph. To be in bed, to be unable to get up and enjoy the freshair and the sunshine was a trial very hard for so small a boy as Ralphto bear; but when he was told that Harriet was worse than he, and thatthe doctor had to be sent for, he submitted to his own illness with agood grace. It was Robina who brought him the tidings.
"Harriet is really ill," she said; "but Dr Fergusson says that you willvery soon be all right again; you have only caught a little cold: Iwonder how you managed it."
"Oh, I know quite well all about it," said Ralph.
"Do you, dear? then you ought to tell us," said Robina.
Ralph's soft brown eyes flashed with anger.
"Does you think I'd be so mean?" he said.
Robina looked at him in surprise. After a long time he made thefollowing remark:
"Harriet is quite the most noble girl in the world. If it was not forHarriet, there'd be no me at all."
Robina burst into a merry laugh.
"Oh, Ralph; you funny little boy!" she said; "what are you talkingabout?"
"You don't understand Harriet," was Ralph's next speech, and he lookedat Robina without the favour he used to bestow upon her. She was hisschool-mother and, of course, the one he loved best; but still she hadnever saved his life.
"I wish I could see my darling Harriet," he said, after a pause. "Iwish I could see her all by my lone self. I want to talk to her. Wehas a great secret atween us."
The doctor, however, had forbidden Ralph to leave his bed that day, andcertainly Harriet could not leave hers. In consequence, the childrendid not meet for a few days, and then it was rather a pale little boywho rushed into the arms of a thin, pale girl who, weak from thesomewhat severe attack she had gone through, was seated in an easy chairnot far from an open window.
"Now go 'way, all of you," said Ralph, "I want to talk to my ownestschool-mother. I has a great secret to talk over with her."
The others obeyed without any protest. Robina, when she left the room,turned to Jane.
"I am sure of one thing," she said: "something must have happened thatday when Ralph and Harriet were left alone together. They were bothquite well even although Harriet was cross when we started on ourexpedition to the beach; but they both got ill that very night, andsince then, Ralph has altered: he is devoted to Harriet."
"Perhaps he has learned to love Harriet best," said Jane.
In spite of herself, there was a tone of triumph in her voice, for wasnot Harriet her friend, and did not every one else adore Robina?
"Would you mind?" she asked, fixing her round black eyes now on Robina'sface.
"Mind?" replied Robina. "Yes," she said, after a little pause, "I don'tlike to own to such a horrid feeling, but I am proud of Ralph's love."
She turned away as she spoke. She was going to her own room. In orderto reach it, she had to pass the tiny chamber where Ralph slept. Shefound one of the maid-servants coming out. The woman had in her hand alittle white drill suit all soaked through and much stained with thegreen weed which grows on ponds.
"I have just found this, miss," she said, "in the cupboard in MasterRalph's room. I wonder how it came there. Surely, little Master Ralphhas not had a ducking in the pond."
Robina felt the colour rushing into her face. For a minute, a sense oftriumph filled her. Then she said, gently:
"Send that suit to the wash, please, Maria; and," she added, "do not sayanything about it."
"There are stockings too, miss, all sopping, and shoes."
"You can have the shoes dried, can't you?" said Robina.
"Oh, yes, miss, certainly."
"Well, send all the other things to the wash."
"Yes, miss," said the girl. "Perhaps," she added, after a pause, "thesethings account for little Master Ralph not being well for the last fewdays."
"They may or may not, Maria: anyhow, we won't talk about that," saidRobina.
She went downstairs. Her heart was beating fast. The fierce desire todrag the truth from Harriet at any cost, which had overpowered her for aminute, had passed away. Her face was pale. She sat down on thenearest chair.
"Are you tired, my dear?" said Mr Durrant, approaching her at thisminute, and sitting down by her side.
"No; not really tired," she answered.
"I am glad to find you all by yourself, Robina; there are many things Iwant to say to you." Robina waited expectantly. "You and Ralph arecapital friends, aren't you?"
"I hope so, indeed--indeed I love him dearly," said Robina.
"And so does he love you. I cannot tell you, Robina, how thankful I amthat he has made a girl of your sort one of his greatest friends; hemight so very easily have chosen otherwise. There is Harriet Lane, forinstance. Poor Harriet, I don't want to speak against her, but she isnot your sort, my dear. Now I like an open mind, generous--if you willhave it, a manly sort of girl, one with no nonsense in her: one, inshort, who will help Ralph to be the sort of man I desire him to be byand by. You, my dear, as far as I can tell, are that sort of girl. Youhave no fear in you. You have, I think, an open mind and a generousdisposition. Compared to Ralph, you are old, although of course inyourself you are very young. I shall have to leave my little boyimmediately after the summer holidays. My wish was to send him toschool--to Mrs Burton's school--where he could have had a littlediscipline, school life, and the companionship of many young people.But I have received a letter from Mrs Burton which obliges me to altermy plans."
"Oh," said Robina, speaking quickly, "I am very, very sorry--"
"So am I, dear, more sorry than I can express. I am terribly upsetabout this letter, and I do not think it wrong to confide my trouble toyou." Here Mr Durrant drew his chair close to Robina's side.
"You see, my dear child, I treat you as though you were grown-up."
"Please do, Mr Durrant," said Robina, "for there is nothing I would notdo for you."
"Well, this is the position," said Mr Durrant. "Mrs Burton won't beable to conduct her own school for the next term. She has induced alady, a great friend of hers, to take the school over, and her hope isthat she may be able to return to it herself after Christmas. Eventhis, however, is doubtful. Mrs Burton's friend, Miss Stackpole, hashad much experience of schools, but she is a maiden lady; and, in short,will not admit dear little Ralph as one of her pupils. Mrs Burton isobliged to spend the next term with her only sister, who is dangerouslyill, and must undergo a serious operation. My plans,
therefore, forRalph are completely knocked on the head. I cannot possibly take himwith me to South Africa. I have undertaken an expedition to thatcountry which is full of adventure and danger. No young child couldaccompany me. I cannot bear to send Ralph to the ordinary boys' school;and, in fact, my dear Robina, it has occurred to me that if I couldpossibly get a lady, trustworthy, kind, sensible, to keep on this house,I might induce you to stay with her as Ralph's companion. Were this thecase, I would myself undertake all your future education. You shouldhave the best masters, the best mistresses that money could secure,