by L. T. Meade
greeting--she stillheld to her opinion that Miss Forest was one of the most ill-bred peopleshe had ever met, and, in addition to feeling a considerable amount offear of her, she quite made up her mind that she would never be onfriendly terms with so underbred a girl.
At this moment grace was repeated in sonorous tones by a stern-lookingperson who sat at the foot of the long table, and whom Hester had notbefore noticed. Instantly the girls rose from their seats, and began tofile in orderly procession out of the tea-room. Hester looked round interror for the friendly Miss Danesbury, but she could not catch sight ofher anywhere. At this moment, however, her companion of the tea-tabletouched her arm.
"We may speak English now for half an hour," she said, "and most of usare going to the play-room. We generally tell stories round the fireupon these dark winter's nights. Would you like to come with meto-night? Shall we be chums for this evening?"
"I don't know what `chums' are," said Hester; "but," she added, with thedawning of a faint smile on her poor, sad little face, "I shall be veryglad to go with you."
"Come then," said Cecil Temple, and she pulled Hester's hand within herarm, and walked with her across the wide stone hall, and into thelargest room Hester had ever seen.
Never, anywhere, could there have been a more delightful play-room thanthis. It was so large that two great fires which burned at either endwere not at all too much to emit even tolerable warmth. The room wasbright with three or four lamps which were suspended from the ceiling,the floor was covered with matting, and the walls were divided intocurious partitions, which gave the room a peculiar but very cosy effect.These partitions consisted of large panels, and were divided by slenderrails the one from the other.
"This is my cosy corner," said Cecil, "and you shall sit with me in itto-night. You see," she added, "each of us girls has her own partition,and we can do exactly what we like in it. We can put our ownphotographs, our own drawings, our own treasures on our panels. Undereach division is our own little work-table, and, in fact, our ownindividual treasures lie round us in the enclosure of this dear littlerail. The centre of the room is common property, and you see what agreat space there is round each fire-place where we can chatter andtalk, and be on common ground. The fire-place at the end of the roomnear the door is reserved especially for the little ones, but we eldergirls sit at the top. Of course you will belong to us. How old areyou?"
"Twelve," said Hester.
"Oh, well, you are so tall that you cannot possibly be put with thelittle ones, so you must come in with us."
"And shall I have a railed-in division and a panel of my own?" askedHester. "It sounds a very nice arrangement. I hope my department willbe close to yours, Miss?"
"Temple is my name," said Cecil, "but you need not call me that. I amCecil to all my friends, and you are my friend this evening, for you aremy chum, you know. Oh, you were asking me about our departments--youwon't have any at first, for you have got to earn it, but I will inviteyou to mine pretty often. Come now, let us go inside. Is not it justlike the darlingest little drawing-room? I am so sorry that I have onlyone easy chair, but you shall have it to-night, and I will sit on thisthree-legged stool. I am saving up my money to buy another armchair,and Annie has promised to upholster it for me."
"Is Annie one of the maids?"
"Oh, dear, no!--she's dear old Annie Forest, the liveliest girl in theschool. Poor darling, she's seldom out of hot water; but we all loveher, we can't help it. Poor Annie, she hardly ever has the luxury of adepartment to herself, so she is useful all round. She's the mostamusing and good-natured dear pet in Christendom."
"I don't like her at all," said Hester; "I did not know you were talkingof her--she is a most rude, uncouth girl." Cecil Temple, who had beenarranging a small dark green table-cloth with daffodils workedartistically in each corner on her little table, stood up as thenewcomer uttered these words, and regarded her fixedly.
"It is a pity to draw hasty conclusions," she said. "There is no girlmore loved in the school than Annie Forest. Even the teachers, althoughthey are always punishing her, cannot help having a soft corner in theirhearts for her. What can she possibly have done to offend you?--butoh!--hush--don't speak--she is coming into the room."
As Cecil finished her rather eager defence of her friend, and preventedthe indignant words which were bubbling to Hester's lips, a gay voicewas heard singing a comic song in the passage--the play-room door wasflung open with a bang, and Miss Forest entered the room with a smallgirl seated on each of her shoulders.
"Hold on, Janny love; keep your arms well round me, Mabel. Now then,here we go--twice up the room and down again. No more, as I'm alive.I've got to attend to other matters than you."
She placed the little girls on the floor amid peals of laughter, andshouts from several little ones to give them a ride too. The childrenbegan to cling to her skirts and to drag her in all directions, and shefinally escaped from them with one dexterous bound which placed her inthat portion of the play-room where the little ones knew they were notallowed to enter.
Until her arrival the different girls scattered about the large room hadbeen more or less orderly, chattering and laughing together, it is true,but in a quiet manner. Now the whole place appeared suddenly in anuproar.
"Annie, come here--Annie, darling, give me your opinion about this--Annie, my precious, naughty creature, come and tell me about your lastscrape."
Annie Forest blew several kisses to her adorers, but did not attachherself to any of them.
"The Temple requires me," she said, in her sauciest tones; "my belovedfriends, the Temple as usual is vouchsafing its sacred shelter to thestranger."
In an instant Annie was kneeling inside the inclosure of Miss Temple'srail and laughing immoderately.
"You dear stranger!" she exclaimed, turning round and gazing full intoHester's shy face, "I do declare I have been punished for the intenseardour with which I longed to embrace you. Has she told you, Cecildarling, what I did in her behalf? How I ventured beyond the sacredprecincts of the baize door and hid inside the porter's room? Poordear, she jumped when she heard my friendly voice, and as I spoke MissDanesbury caught me in the very act. Poor old dear, she cried when shecomplained of me, but duty is Danesbury's motto; she would go to thestake for it, and I respect her immensely. I have got my twenty linesof that horrible French poetry, to learn--the very thought almoststrangles me, and I foresee plainly that I shall do something terriblynaughty within the next few hours; I must, my love--I really must. Ihave just come here to shake hands with Miss Thornton, and then I mustaway to my penance. Ah, how little I shall learn, and how hard I shallthink! Welcome to Lavender House, Miss Thornton; look upon me as yourdevoted ally, and if you have a spark of pity in your breast, feel forthe girl whom you got into a scrape the very moment you entered thesesacred walls."
"I don't understand you," said Hester, who would not hold out her hand,and who was standing up in a very stiff, shy, and angular position. "Ithink you were very rude to startle me, and make personal remarks thevery moment I came into the house."
"Oh, dear!--I only said you were tall, and looked rather sulky, love--you did, you know, really."
"It was very rude of you," repeated Hester, turning crimson, and tryingto keep back her tears.
"Well, my dear, I meant no harm; shake hands, now, and let us makefriends."
But Hester felt either too shy or too miserable to yield to thisrequest--she half turned her back, and leaned against Miss Temple'spanel.
"Never mind her," whispered gentle Cecil Temple; but Annie Forest'sbright face had darkened ominously--the school favourite was notaccustomed to having her advances flung back in her face. She left theroom singing a defiant, naughty song, and several of the girls who hadoverheard this scene whispered one to the other--
"She can't be at all nice--she would not even shake hands with Annie.Fancy her turning against our Annie in that way!"
CHAPTER FIVE.
THE HEAD-MISTRESS.
Annie Forest had scarcely left the room before Miss Danesbury appearedwith a message for Hester, who was to come with her directly to see MrsWillis. The poor shy girl felt only too glad to leave behind her thecruel, staring, and now by no means approving eyes of her school-mates.She had overheard several of their whispers, and felt rather alarmed ather own act. But Hester, shy as she was, could be very tenacious of anidea. She had taken a dislike to Annie Forest, and she was quitedetermined to be true to what she considered her convictions--namely,that Annie was underbred and common, and not at all the kind of girlwhom her mother would have cared for her to know. The little girlfollowed Miss Danesbury in silence.