The Little Princess of Tower Hill

by L. T. Meade

  CHAPTER IX.

  A JOLLY PLAN.

  Maggie, on the whole, was inclined to wake early; she was not aparticularly sound sleeper, and on the summer mornings she always had anintense longing to be up and about. It occurred to her, however, as MissGrey was helping her to undress that night, how very, very dreadful itwould be if Susy were to wait down in the street on the following morning,and she were all unconsciously to oversleep herself. She thought that sucha thing ought not to be left to chance, and she cast about in her activelittle brain for some means of rousing herself. The little room she sleptin used to be occupied by Ralph; and among the rest of its furniture, itheld a nice little book-shelf, full of gayly covered boy's books. Maggiecould not read, but Ralph during the day had come up with her and told herthe names of some of his favorite volumes. Maggie now thought that thesebooks might help her to wake; and accordingly, after Miss Grey had left hertucked up comfortably in her little white bed, she slipped on to the floor,and going to the book-case, selected a green and gayly bound volume, whichRalph had called "Robinson Crusoe;" another, which he had entitled "SwissFamily Robinson," and a book bound in brown, which he assured her was asheavy in its contents as in its exterior, and which bore the name of"Sandford and Merton."

  Maggie carried these three books into her bed, and then arranged them withsystem.

  "I am sure to wake now," she said to herself. "And poor little Susy shallnot be disappointed of her tambourine. The green book is 'Robinson Crusoe,'he'll do to begin with; he's rather thick, and he'll make a good clatter.Now I do call this a lovely plan."

  Maggie now arranged herself in bed, and placed "Robinson Crusoe" on herfeet.

  "I'll go sound asleep, and though he's rather weighty I don't mind him,and then when I turn, he'll go bang on the floor, and that'll wake me thefirst time," she said. "The other two books can stay handy until they'rewanted under my pillow."

  Then the little princess shut up her curly fringed eyes and went happilyoff into the land of dreams.

  It so happened that Miss Grey was getting into bed when the bump occasionedby "Robinson Crusoe's" fall occurred. She rushed into her little pupil'sroom to inquire what was wrong. Maggie was sitting up in bed and rubbingher sleepy eyes.

  "He did come down with a bang," she said; "it's a jolly plan. Please, MissGrey, it's only 'Robinson Crusoe;' do you mind putting him on the shelf?"

  Miss Grey picked up the volume in great wonder, but concluding that Maggie,who could not read a word, must have been amusing herself looking at thepictures, laid the book down and retired to rest.

  In the course of the night she had again to fly into the little princess'bedroom. This time Maggie was very sleepy, and only murmured drowsily:

  "I think it's his 'Family' that has got on the floor now."

  Miss Grey picked up the "Swiss Family Robinson," and with a not unnaturalreflection that there seldom was a more troublesome little girl than herpupil, once more sought her couch.

  The third bang was the loudest of all, and it came with daylight, andstrange and unfortunate to say, awoke the pupil, and not the governess.Maggie was out of bed in a moment, and approached the window, and wasgazing out to see some sign of Susy in the street. It was not yet fiveo'clock, and certainly Susy was not likely to put in an appearance soearly; but Maggie determined not to risk going to sleep again, and sheaccordingly dressed herself, and then getting on the window-sill, whichhappened to be rather deep, curled herself up, and pressed her little faceagainst the glass. The band-box containing the precious hat was by herside. The moment Susy appeared, therefore, she was ready to start.

  Six o'clock struck from a church tower hard by, but another hour had verynearly passed before a somewhat stout little figure was seen eagerlyturning the corner and gazing right up to the window where Maggie, cold andtired with waiting, sat. At the sight of Susy, however, her spirits revivedand her enthusiasm was once more kindled. With the band-box containing thenew hat in her hand she rushed out of the room--she was too excited to bevery prudent this morning--and dashed downstairs in a way which certainlywould have aroused any one in the dead of the night, but was only mistakennow for a frantic housemaid's extra cleaning.

  Once more she reached the hall without any one seeing her, and opening thestreet door, found Susy Aylmer waiting on the steps.

  "Oh! here you are, miss--my heart was in my mouth for fear as you'd failme. Oh, not that band-box please, Miss Maggie, anybody would notice us withthe band-box! I have brought round the little broken-victual basket, andwe'll stuff the hat into that."

  Maggie on this occasion was certainly not going to be particular, but shedid feel a pang of some annoyance when she saw her lovely hat crushed andsqueezed into a by no means clean basket. She concluded, however, that asthe hat was now absolutely Susy's, she need not trouble any further aboutit.

  "That's all right now," she said; "you'll be able to buy the tambourinenow, won't you?"

  "Well, I 'ope so, miss; that's if the 'at ain't a sham, and it don't looklike a sham--it looks like a real good 'at. Now, then, Miss Maggie, hadn'twe better come along?--it's a good step from here to the pawnshop--we'llget there a little before eight, and they opens at eight. It's a good planto be at the pawn bright and early, and then you get served first; comealong, miss."

  "But I didn't know you wanted me to go with you to the shop," said Maggie;"I thought you might do that by yourself; I have gived you the hat, and Ithought you'd sell it by yourself. Why, what is the matter Susy?"

  Susy Aylmer's face had grown crimson, redder, indeed, than any face Maggiehad ever seen; she began opening the basket and pulling out the hat.

  "Oh! oh!" she said, "and is that your kind? Is it me that 'ud take this hatand sell it by myself? Why, I'd be took for a thief, that's what I'd betook for, and I'd be put in the lock-up, that's where I'd be found. There,Miss Maggie, take back your hat, miss; it's better to be ever so hungry andholler, and have your bit of liberty. I must do without the tambourine, andJo's day dream won't come, that's all. Good-morning to yer, miss."

  Susy began to walk very slowly away, but Maggie flew after her.

  "Why, Susy," she said, "I don't mind going with you; I think perhaps I'drather like going, only I didn't know you wanted me. You shan't be put inthe lock-up, Susy, though I'm sure I don't know what the lock-up is, andyou shall have your tambourine. But oh, Susy, I hope they won't take me fora thief and put me into that funny place!"

  "Oh, dear, no, missy darling--any one might see at a glance that you wasthe rightful owner of that 'ere pretty hat, and might well sell what wasyour own. Come, missy dear, it's all right now, and I never thought asyou'd be that real mean as to desert me."

  "We must be very quick, then, Susy," said Maggie; "for my Aunt Violet isgoing to have breakfast at half-past eight this morning and I have been upa long time--a very long time, and I never was so hungry in all my life. Ihad a very disturbed night, Susy, for 'Robinson Crusoe' did bump so when hefell on the floor, and so did the 'Family,' but none of them bumped quiteso hard as 'Sandford and Merton.'"

  All the time the two little girls were talking they were going further andfurther away from Mrs. Grenville's door, and by the time Maggie had quitemade up her mind to accompany her little companion they had turned into aside street, and if she had wished it she could not now have found her wayhome.

  Maggie, however, no longer wished to go back; it was great fun going withSusy to the pawnbroker's, and she felt very important at having somethingof her own to sell. She was a strong, healthy little girl, and did not feelparticularly tired when they at last reached the special pawnbroker's whichSusy had fixed upon as the best place for making their bargain. The doorsof this shop were not yet open, but they were presently pushed back, theshutters were taken down, and a dirty-looking girl and a slovenly red-facedman entered the establishment. Maggie had never seen such anunpleasant-looking pair, and she was very glad to shelter herself behindSusy, and felt much inclined to refuse to enter the shop at all.

  Susy, ho
wever, marched in boldly, and very soon the white hat was laid uponthe counter, and a fierce haggling ensued between this young person and thered-faced man. The dirty girl also came and stared very hard at Maggie, forcertainly such a refined little face and such a lovely hat had not beenseen in that pawnshop for many a day. The hat was new, and had cost severalguineas, but Maggie's eyes quite glistened when the red man presented herwith seven shillings in exchange for it. She thought this a magnificentlot of money--her cheeks became deeply flushed, and she poured the silverinto Susy's hand with the delighted remark:

  "Oh, now you can get a tambourine! This will more than make up the sixteenadded to fourteen, won't it?"

  Susy, too, thought seven shillings a splendid lot of money, and the twowere leaving the pawnbroker's in a state of ecstasy, when Susy suddenlyfelt even her florid complexion turning pale, and Maggie exclaimedjoyfully:

  "Oh, it's dear Waters! Waters, where have you come from, and how did youlearn my secret?"

  For answer to Maggie's eager inquiries Waters stooped down and lifted thelittle girl into her arms; she held her close, and even kissed her in aquite tremulous and agitated manner.

  "Thank God, Miss Maggie!" she exclaimed; "thank God, my pretty innocentlamb, I'm in time. Oh, what a bad, bad girl that Susy must be! How couldshe tempt you to do anything so wicked? Why, Miss Maggie, you might havebeen stolen yourself--you might have been--you might have been! Oh, poordear Sir John! What a near escape he has had of having his heart broke!"

  Here Waters shed some tears and leaned up against the counter in heragitation.

  "Susy was not to blame," said Maggie, when she could speak in her utterastonishment. "Poor Susy wanted the tambourine, and I wanted to give ither, and I couldn't think of no other way, 'cause I'm a dunce and can'twrite, and so I couldn't send no letter to father to ask him to give me themoney. Don't you be frightened, Susy; come here; poor Susy you shall haveyour tambourine."

  But here the untidy-looking girl who served behind the counter raised hershrill voice.

  "Ef you're looking for the red-faced young person what came with you intothe shop, miss, she runned away some minutes since."

  "And I'm grieved to say taking the money with her," added the pawnbroker."It seems provoking," he continued, "as of course if the money had beenreturned I might have given up the hat. As things now stands this here hatis mine."

  "Not quite so," interposed Waters; "you know quite well, sir, you had noright to buy a hat from a little lady like Miss Ascot. Here's sevenshillings from my purse, sir, and I'd be thankful to you to restore me thehat."

  Of course the pawnbroker and Waters had a rather sharp quarrel upon thespot, but in the end the pawnbroker was the better of that morning'stransaction to the tune of several shillings, and Waters rescued the prettywhite hat, which, much bent out of shape, and with some black marks on itspure white trimmings, was carried home.

  "Not that you shall wear it, my dear--not that you shall attempt to put iton your head again, for nobody knows what the hat may have contracted, soto speak, in so horrid and dirty a shop, but that I didn't wish that man tohave more of a victory than I could help. Oh, Miss Maggie, darling, you didgive me a fright and no mistake!"

  "But how did you know where I was, Waters? I kept my secret so well."

  "Yes, my dearie; but somehow I got fidgety last night, and I kept thinkingand thinking of your words, and the idea got hold of me that maybe thesecret wasn't just between you and Master Ralph. This morning I wokeearlier than my wont, and as I couldn't sleep, I got up. I had to put oneor two little matters right with regard to my mistress' wardrobe, and thenI thought I'd see, just when I had a quiet hour, whether you had everythingright to go to the garden party. Your new dress was hung up in my mistress'room, and I took it out and saw that the tucker was fastened round theneck, and that your gloves were neat, and your little white French bootswanted no buttons, and then it occurred to me that I'd just curl up thefeathers of the hat. The hat was not with the dress, so I ran up to yourroom to fetch it, thinking of course to see you, dearie, like a little birdasleep in your nest. Well, my dear, the poor little bird was flown, and thebeautiful hat was nowhere, and, I must say, I was in a taking, and itflashed across me that was the secret. I put on my bonnet and flew into thestreet, only just in time to see you and Susy talking very earnestlytogether, and turning the corner. The street, as you know, is a long one,and I couldn't get up with you, run as I might, but thank God, I kept youin sight, and at last overtook you at the pawnshop. Oh, what a wicked girlSusy Aylmer is!"

  "She isn't," said Maggie, "Oh, poor Susy isn't wicked. Waters, I'm sorryyou found us. I did want to do something for Susy and for Jo!"

  Here Maggie burst into such bitter weeping that Waters found it absolutelyimpossible to comfort her.