The Little School-Mothers
Page 43
Now I don't care twopence either for Jane orHarriet, but there's something up with Robina, and I love Robina."
"We all love her! Who could help it?" said the others.
"There is one good thing," said Rose; "if by any chance she is notelected to be Ralph's school-mother, she will be back with us at MrsBurton's school next term. How splendid it would be if Harriet was notalways making mischief! How queer Harriet is!"
Just then, Harriet herself appeared. She was walking with Jane by herside. Whether it was her immersion in the sea, and the excitement ofJane through which she had lived, or whether it was that she was reallyfeeling things more than she cared to own, she looked paler than ever,her blue eyes lighter, and the shadows under them more intense: her longstraight hair seemed to grow longer and more lanky, and her narrowfigure taller. She hardly glanced at the other girls, but went pastthem, accompanied by Jane.
"There they go," said Frederica: "they are going to have a big confabnow somewhere. Why will Harriet never join the rest of us and be jollyand merry? We are meant to have such a beautiful time at SunshineLodge, but she really takes the fun out of things: her queer melancholyface and her odd ways of going on would depress any party. I know MrDurrant feels it, and that he is dreadfully puzzled what to do."
"Oh! Here is Robina!"
These words were uttered by two or three of the girls who ran up toRobina at that moment. Robina also was looking ill at ease, but herface by no means wore the expression which characterised either Jane'sor Harriet's. The frank look could never leave her grey eyes. Shealways held herself very erect, and her fine young figure, inconsequence, showed on every occasion to the best advantage. She wore apretty white frock now, and her fine brown hair fell in masses far belowher waist.
"Dear Robina!" said Rose, running up to her and taking her hand. "Dosit down and be cosy with us all. Isn't it nice to be back again atSunshine Lodge! We have ten more happy days to spend here before schoolbegins."
"I haven't," said Robina, gently; "I am going away to-morrow."
"You are going away to-morrow!" cried several voices; while others said,"What?" and others again exclaimed: "Oh Robina! what do you mean?" andyet others cried, "No, no, we can't stand this, we are no: going toallow it; we couldn't live without you, Robina!"
"You are all sweet," said Robina, "and I love you very much; andperhaps--I am not quite sure what may happen now--but perhaps I may meetyou again at Abbeyfield. But that is not the point. I am leaving hereto-morrow: I am going home."
"But Robina, Robina, why? tell us why."
"There is no special secret," said Robina. "I did not mean to sayanything about it to you--at least, not quite so soon; but as I have metyou, I may as well say I have made up my mind--I love Ralph very dearly,but I am not going to be his school-mother. I mean," she added proudly,"that I shan't compete. I haven't the slightest doubt that the decisionwill be made against me, but now, whether it is made for or against me,I shan't compete. I am just going to tell Harriet that she need nothave any fear, and then I shall speak to Mr Durrant and I will ask himto let me go back to father and mother. I can't explain any more thanthat. It--it isn't exactly my fault: I am puzzled a good deal; andperhaps if I were one of you, I could do differently, but being myself,there is nothing for it but to withdraw."
"But there _is_ something for it," said Patience Chetwold. "You arewithdrawing because you know something, and because you won't say it,and is that right or fair either to Mr Durrant or Ralph? Robina,before you leave us, you have got to answer one question, and to answerit truthfully."
"Well, what is it?" said Robina.
"You have never told a lie, and you know that," said Patience.
"I don't think I ever have," said Robina, thoughtfully. "No, I am sureI never have told even the tiniest little half lie."
"Very well," said Patience, in a voice of triumph; "you will tell thetruth now."
"Or be silent," said Robina.
"Oh well, we will take your silence for what it is worth. Anyhow," saidPatience, "have I the permission of the rest of you girls to ask Robinaa question in all our names?"
"Certainly, certainly!" they said; and they crowded round Patience, whoplaced herself in the middle of the group.
Patience was a tall, fair-haired girl with a great deal of quiet powerand dignity in her own way.
"This is a question which appeals to all us school-mothers," she said."We all feel ourselves more or less responsible for little Ralph. MrDurrant put him, as it were, under our charge when he brought him toAbbeyfield School. Ralph chose Harriet to be his favouriteschool-mother. Then we all know what happened, and Harriet, as wehoped, repented, and we were glad; and you, Robina, were chosen as thereal school-mother, and you won the pony, and we were glad of that too.But now things are changed. Still that fact does not alter the otherfact that we are still Ralph's school-mothers, and that we are bound, ifnecessary, to protect him.
"Mr Durrant is one of the nicest men in all the world, and he has askedus here for love of Ralph, and has given us the most glorious time, andhas done all that man could for our pleasure; and is this the return wewill make him--to allow him to choose a girl like Harriet to beschool-mother to Ralph? for of course we know--and he has said so--thatthe choice lies between you,--Robina, and Harriet; and now you, justbefore the moment of decision, back out of the whole thing and say youwon't be Ralph's school-mother, and that you are going home. The restof us think that a very cowardly and wrong thing to do: therefore wedemand from you, as being ourselves Ralph's school-mothers, an answer toour question."
"Yes, yes!" here interrupted the others. "You have put the case verywell, Patience; and the question you are about to ask ought to beanswered."
"Our question is this," said Patience, raising her voice a little. "Areyou, or are you not, prepared to say that Harriet, as far as you know,will be a kind and truthful and honourable school-mother to Ralph? Areyou happy in giving Ralph up yourself to Harriet's care? or do you knowanything against her?"
"I can't say, and I won't say," replied Robina, turning very red."There are things that even a girl placed in my position cannot do."
"Very well," said Patience, "you have answered. You can go now, Robina,and tell Harriet your decision. But between now and to-morrow morning,when the great decision is publicly made, we, the rest of theschool-mothers, will have something to say with regard to the matter."
Robina immediately left her companions. Her head was aching; her heartwas throbbing hard. Nevertheless, her mind was fully made up. Shefound Jane and Harriet walking side by side in the neighbourhood of theround pond. She approached quite close to them before they heard her.She did not want to listen to their conversation.
"I eavesdropped once," she thought, "unintentionally of course;nevertheless, I did such a horrid, such a mean, such a despicable thing,and oh! how I have suffered in consequence! But I won't eavesdropagain--not if I know it."
Nevertheless, as she came close to the other girls, she had time to lookat the pond, and to notice the exact position of that willow bough alongwhose slender branch little Ralph had crept in order to gather thewater-lilies. The water-lilies were there still in great abundance withall their delicate wax-like cups closed, for it was the time of theirslumber. The pond, too, looked still and glassy on its surface, exceptwhen the duck-weed, and many parasites of the pond threw an unwholesomeglamour over its depths. Robina seemed to realise the whole scene thathad taken place there--the child who had dropped into the water, theimmediate power of the clinging weeds, the impossibility for the littlefellow to swim in his clothes. She saw again Harriet rushing to therescue, and she well guessed the storm of devotion which she had arousedin the heart of the brave little child. But since that scene, which,without its explanation, sounded innocent enough, another had takenplace--one that Robina herself had witnessed. Could she ever forget theagony of that moment when, almost out of her depth, she had longed invain for the power to swim out to save Ralph! Would sh
e at such amoment have thought of any possible reward except that most divinereward of all--that of giving up her very life for his?
Robina shook herself as though from a day-dream, and it was at thisinstant that Harriet and Jane, turning, saw her standing in the path.
Jane's round face was quite pale, and there were tears in her blackeyes. She had been letting off some of the soreness of her heart toHarriet, and Harriet had been the reverse of sympathising. Harriet hadsaid once or twice:
"All right, Jane: if you don't want the five pounds,