by L. T. Meade
starting back.
"Don't be silly," said Harriet. "Come down this path, no one will hearus; we must talk. On board the yacht, there will be so littleopportunity, but here we are alone and together. The choice liesbetween you and me. Now, you think you want all that Mr Durrant isabout to offer, but, compared to me, you don't want it at all. My home,compared to yours, is, oh! so rough; and my people are oh! so poor! Youdon't know, perhaps, that I am supported at Mrs Burton's school by anaunt who grudges every penny of the money she spends on me. To beeducated by a man like that, to be able to live here until I am quitegrown-up--oh, it would make such a difference! You don't want theseadvantages as badly as I want them. Give up your chance, you have butto help me with Ralph. He loves me better than you now; you have but tosay a few words to Mr Durrant, and the deed is done."
"And what words are those?" said Robina.
"Tell him what you think about me."
"What I think?" said Robina.
"Yes, yes, yes! Don't you understand? You haven't said anything yet--Imean, you haven't betrayed me?"
"I haven't."
"Well, his great idea is that Ralph should be under the care of atruthful girl. Make out to him that I am the most truthful girl, themost honourable, the most upright in all the world."
"Sell my soul, in fact?" said Robina. She turned and faced hercompanion. "O Harriet! How I despise you! I tell you what I will do.I will give up this whole thing. I will tell Mr Durrant that I won'tbe Ralph's companion; that I prefer to go back to Mrs Burton's school,and to take my chance there; that I can have nothing further to do withRalph, that I can tell him what I know about you, and he can choose RoseAmberley, or Vivian, or Patience Chetwold, or one of the other girls asRalph's school-mother. When I put you out of court, I shall put myselfout of court. Oh, yes; that is what I will do. You are just dreadful,Harriet, dreadful."
"You won't dare to do such a thing," said Harriet. "You must not; oh, Ibeseech of you!" Harriet's whole tone altered. "Robina, I was onlyjoking. Oh, please, please, please don't betray me. Of course, I willdo nothing, only don't betray me. Let us have our chance, let us bothbe above-board: probably Mr Durrant and Ralph will choose you, and ifthey do, I will promise not to say a word."
"But you will have nothing to say," replied Robina, in someastonishment.
"That is true; but oh! do nothing, nothing until the week is up!"
"You distract me," said Robina. "I want to go to him now--at once. Hethinks me truthful; perhaps I am; I have been up to the present. Now itseems that, knowing what I know--knowing that you did that thing withregard to the pond--"
"Oh, hush!" said Harriet.
"--That I ought to tell him. It lies on my conscience: I am mostmiserable!"
"Well, at least promise that you will say nothing until we have been onboard the yacht and the time there is over."
Harriet argued. Robina pleaded; but in spite of herself, the girl whowas quite straight, who had no crooked thoughts, whose one desire was todo to others as she would be done by, was no match for the girl who wasdeceitful and intensely selfish. In the end, Robina was forced by hercompanion to give the promise that she would say nothing until the weekwas up.
Book 2--CHAPTER ELEVEN.
ON BOARD THE "SEA-GULL."
The next day dawned gloriously, and soon after ten o'clock the entireparty were on board the pretty yacht which was known by the name of the"Sea-Gull." She had been hired by Mr Durrant for the occasion, and wasas charming a sea home as any girls could live in. The eight girls whonow took possession of the pretty little cabins and who ran up and downthe "companion" stairs and walked on the deck, and disported themselvesso happily with the sea breezes blowing on their cheeks, and the whitesails of the yacht fluttering in the breeze had never known a moreenjoyable time than that first day on board the "Sea-Gull."
The "Sea-Gull," like a large white bird, skimmed lightly over the water.The girls were all excellent sailors. The sky was cloudless. MrDurrant seemed absolutely to have recovered his serene good humour.Ralph was in the highest spirits, and even the school-mothers were soabsorbed in their new surroundings that they had no time for trouble orcare.
It was after dinner, on the first evening of their sojourn on board the"Sea-Gull" that Mr Durrant, rising from his place at the head of thetable, spoke to his little party.
"Now, my children," he said, "we have entered on a week which I hopewill remain long in the memories of each and all of you--a week which itwill be my endeavour to make one of pure and perfect happiness. Thereis no time like youth for the enjoyment of such. As we get older, wecannot quite get away from our cares, however hard we try to do so; butwhen we are young, we are meant to be like the young birds and the younglambs and the young puppy dogs and the young kittens--all gaiety andsunshine, and lightness of heart. I have on board this yacht with me, acrew and an excellent sea-worthy captain and a first mate and all therest, and I also have nine young people who none of them exceed twelveyears of age. This expedition is entirely carried out for the sake ofone little boy and his eight school-mothers, and I trust, therefore, weshall have a very jolly time.
"On the night of our return to Sunshine Lodge, I shall have a veryimportant decision to announce, but in the meantime, my children, let usforget all about it; let us be happy while we may; let us banish dullcare; let us be, from the oldest to the youngest, each a truly happychild at heart."
"Oh, yes," said Robina's voice.
The others looked round rather startled when she spoke. She was wearinga brown holland frock, which Aunt Felicia had made for her, and whichwas not exactly becoming, but nothing could take from the bonnyexpression of her open face, and her very words brought comfort to MrDurrant's heart.
"That girl is the girl for me," he said to himself. "Who would compareher to Harriet Lane?" But then he noticed--and he gave a quick sigh--that Ralph's little hand was locked in Harriet's, and that he wasstanding close to the tall, thin girl.
Soon afterwards, the entire party went on deck, and Ralph, after sittingup for some time, was obliged to go down to the pretty cabin which heshared with his father.
"Oh--I am so sleepy!" he said. "I shan't sleep without rocking, forI'll be rocked all night by the sea, won't I, father?"
"Yes, my son," replied his father; "and may you sleep without dreams."
He kissed the little brown face as he spoke. The brown eyes looked intothe browner eyes of the man, and the man felt that in all the wide worldthere was no one so precious to him as that little child who was not yetsix years of age.
"If only I could give up my life of adventure for his sake! Dare Ileave him?" thought Mr Durrant. "I could, with Robina," was his nextthought.
He looked across at the group of girls, who, on different deck-chairs,were gently swaying to the pleasant rhythmic motion of the yacht. Therewere certainly prettier girls on board, but there was no one, to MrDurrant's mind, so altogether satisfactory as Robina. How was it thateven at this juncture, Ralph scarcely kissed Robina at all, but claspedhis arms round Harriet's neck, and whispered something in her ear? andwhy did Harriet return his kiss with a sort of eager passion and thenturn and talk to Jane in an undertone? Mr Durrant felt he did not likeit. He was restless, in spite of himself, and though he had vowed thatdull Care should not enter the "Sea-Gull," and that during the happyweek on board no _contretemps_ should take place, he was all the timethinking, first of Harriet, and then again of Robina, and then again ofHarriet.
The first two days on board passed without any sort of adventure. Theparty landed and saw almost all the places of interest on the Isle ofWight, and generally entered some little harbour to spend the night.The weather continued to be most propitious. There was no one eithersea-sick or sorry; nevertheless, Mr Durrant felt more and more asthough that choice which he was about to make were becoming one ofgreater anxiety each moment.
On the third day of the little party's residence on board the"Sea-Gull," Ralph, who woke very early, left his
own berth and climbedinto his father's.
"Is you waking up, father?" he said. "Is you going to talk to yourlittle brown boy?"
"Of course I am, Ralph," answered Durrant, opening one sleepy eye, andglancing comically at Ralph as he perched himself on one side of thebed.
Ralph sat very still for a minute: then he said, in a very low,determined voice:
"I promised I'd say it: so I am going to."
"You dear little man--you promised you'd say it:--what do you mean bythat?"
"Well," said Ralph, "it is this. I want