The Little School-Mothers
Page 40
what can we do to make MrDurrant go back?" said Harriet.
"I have thought of that too," said Jane, her colour changing. "Youremember the letter you got about your father?"
"The letter that reached me this morning?"
"Yes, you said he was ill."
"Oh, dad is often ill," said Harriet; "I mean that he is fanciful."
"Well," said Jane; "let's pretend for the time at least that he is notfanciful, and that you are nervous about him, and that you want to hear,and that you think there may be a telegram waiting for you on board the`Sea-Gull.' Mr Durrant is so kind that he would think nothing of goingback to find out, and I would speak to him my own self if you would letme. Do let me, please do, Harriet!"
"You want your five pounds," said Harriet. "It's a jolly mean way toearn it. But still, I suppose, we are both as mean as we can be and theidea in itself may succeed. I have asked you to manage this thing forme, Janie, it is only fair, as you get such a lot of money by it, so doyour best, now; I leave it in your hands."
The moment Harriet said this, Jane rushed away from her. She joined MrDurrant, and they talked together for some minutes with great apparentearnestness. Meanwhile, Ralph rushed up to Harriet.
"Isn't the day lovely?" he said; "won't it be nice when we are bobbingup and down in the water? I'll show you how well I can swim, Harriet.I can swim, you know, but I can float better than I can swim."
"You must be careful not to go out of your depth," said Harriet. "Ofcourse you can swim, although you are such a little boy, and when youare tired, your father will let you ride on his back. What fun thatwill be! Your father is so strong, and big."
"Yes, isn't he just splendid?" said Ralph.
At that moment, Jane came back.
"Mr Durrant has gone to the yacht," she whispered to Harriet, "but hedoesn't wish any of us to bathe until he returns."
Ralph, who was quite uninterested in Jane's whispered communication nowran down to the edge of the water and began to amuse himself shyingpebbles into the sea.
"Of course there will be no telegram," said Harriet to Jane. "Father'sin all probability as well as usual, still, that was a good idea ofyours, and it isn't likely to be found out."
"I don't think it is likely," said Jane. "I am awfully wicked," shecontinued, "and it is you, Harriet, who have made me so. I told MrDurrant that you were almost certain a telegram would come. It was alie, of course, but I have done it for Bobbie's sake, and Miriam's sake,and now you have got to earn my five pounds for me; now is your chance."
"But you have spoilt it with that message," said Harriet. "Mr Durrantsaid we were none of us to bathe until he came back."
"You must bathe," said Jane. "I am going to pretend that I forgot allabout the message. You must act as though you never got it."
"Then you, Jane, will be punished."
"I can only be in disgrace," said Jane; "and I don't mind if I get mymoney. In any case, I shan't bathe; I am going to walk about veryslowly along the beach, and will wait for you near the yacht. If any ofthe sailors see me, they will take me on board, and I can wait for youthere. I shall be much too miserable to look on. Don't let Ralph gofar into the sea--just a wee, wee bit out of his depth: then catch himvery quickly; only be sure you let Robina and the other girls see you doit. Things will be all right for us both now, won't they?"
"Yes," said Harriet, in an excited tone. She too felt that her chancehad come. Her conscience was dulled to sleep. Not for worlds would sheawaken it.
Jane immediately began to walk back to Totland Bay, and Harriet turnedto the other girls who had come up now to join her.
"When,"--said Ralph, who was softly jumping up and down and holdingVivian's hand--"when is we all going into the nice, cool, lovely bluewater?"
"But where can Mr Durrant be?" said Robina.
"He said that he would come with us because the current would certainlybe a little strong to-day. Perhaps we had better not bathe."
"Oh, of course those who are frightened need not bathe," said Harriet:"but I am going into the water for one."
"But where is father? where is my father?" asked Ralph.
"He has gone," said Harriet, "out of great kindness to me to find out ifa telegram has come on board the `Sea-Gull' to tell me about my ownfather, who isn't well. Isn't it good of him?"
"Just like father," said Ralph. "And is your father very, very bad,Harriet?"
"Oh, I hope he is much better now," said Harriet. "But he sometimesdoes get ill, and then of course I am anxious."
"'Course you are, poor Harriet," said Ralph, taking her hand andstroking it softly.
"Well, girls," said Harriet, looking at the others; "who's going tobathe, and who isn't?"
Two or three elected to get into their bathing things, and go into thewater. The little cove was absolutely sheltered. The water was likeglass. Some of the children were accustomed to sea-bathing, some werenot. Harriet began eagerly to question.
"Who can swim?" she asked.
"I can," said Frederica.
"And I a little bit," said Rose Amberley.
"And I can't," said Robina; "but all the same, I am going to bathe ifthe rest of you do."
"And who said you were not to bathe?" asked Harriet. "It will do yougood, I think, for you look so hot and dusty."
"Yes, I believe it would do me a lot of good," said Robina, and as shespoke she took off her hat and twisting up her thick hair, knotted itfirmly at the back of her head.
The girls then packed their bathing things, and Robina, Harriet and theothers prepared to get into the water. Little Ralph, looking prettierthan he had ever done before, in a little tight-fitting brown bathingsuit, skipped about on the edge of the waves.
"Oh! won't it be jolly!" he cried; "won't it be jolly in the water!Come, Harriet."
On his lips the words were almost bubbling, "You can swim splendid," buthe kept them back.
"Let me hold your hand, Ralph," said Robina. "We mustn't go far becauseyour father is not with us, and your father wouldn't like it."
"Nonsense!" said Harriet, who was standing up to her knees in the water,which was quite warm, and as still as possible. "Those who arecowards," she said, "need not come on; but from the little I know of MrDurrant, I should say that of all things in the world, he would wishRalph to prove himself a brave boy. Come along with me, Ralph; hold myhand; poor silly Robina can't swim, you know."
"Can't you, Robina? Oh, I forgot," said Ralph. He looked pityingly ather.
"I can swim quite a little bit," he said. "Father taught me; only Ican't keep up very long, but leastways I can float. Can't you evenfloat, Robina? You has to turn on your back--so."
As Ralph spoke, he suited the action to the words, lying perfectly stillon his back, his head slightly lower than his chest. Harriet laughed;put her hand under the said little head, and forced him on to his feetagain.
"Why, you are a splendid boy," she said. "You and I will see togetherwhat we can do. The water is quite warm. Now, Ralph, you know thestroke. Come along; I will help you. All of you who can swim, comewith me, won't you. I thought before I got into the water that thecurrent might be a little strong, but I see I am mistaken. We caneasily go as far as the entrance to the cove. What fun it will be tolook at the outside world from the edge of the cove."
Harriet began to swim out boldly, and Ralph for a time kept pace withher, laughing as he did so. Suddenly, a girl cried out:
"Don't go any further, Harriet; there's a fisherman beckoning to us.Turn back, Harriet; turn back!" Harriet turned quickly. She saw a manon the cliff gesticulating and waving his hand. She looked at Ralph.Ralph was still swimming close to her. The other girls had not evengone out of their depths. Robina, however, with her face white asdeath, was struggling into deep water.
"No, no!" cried Harriet. "Turn back, turn back, Robina! It's allright--it really is. Don't come any further, you'll be drowned if youdo!"
"Ralph, Ralph, Ralph!" pleaded Robina. "
Come back to me, come back!"
The little boy looked at her and smiled.
"Don't be frightened," he said. "I is all right. I is just going asfar as Harriet, and then I'll swim back to you. It's lovely in thewater, it is so warm and--"
A tiny white curling wave came up to him at that moment as though itwere