by L. T. Meade
lot of father's money on herself, and so very, verylittle on us--doesn't it? I don't understand it--do you, girls?"
But before the girls could reply, Brenda, looking fresh and captivating,as usual, appeared by their side.
"Now, then,"--she said--"home we go. Oh, I am glad to get out of thisheat. I think we'll have supper in the garden to-night. It will belovely under the mulberry tree. What do you say, _petites_? What dear,pretty little darlings you are!"
But the pretty little darlings were not in the best of tempers, andBrenda had some trouble in getting them back to good humour. Sheherself was in excellent spirits, for she had employed Madame Declassenot only to make the dress in a way so sweet as to take the hearts ofall who saw her by storm, but was she not also to make her a long whiteserge dust coat, very fashionable looking and very, very smart, and alittle white hat, which would exactly finish off the pale blue costume?and was not Madame Declasse to supply a parasol and gloves, all suitedto that distinguished looking young lady, Miss Brenda Carlton?
But these small matters Brenda kept to herself. It would never do forthe sandy-haired daughters of the Reverend Josiah Amberley to know aboutthem. Her object was to humour them to the very top of their bent untilshe got them away with her to the seaside, and then--behold! what twentypounds still quite unspent might not achieve! For the blue silk dresswas paid for, and Madame Declasse would not charge for the making up,nor for the parasol, nor the white serge coat, nor the pretty white hat,for a long, long time. It really did not matter to Madame when herlittle bills were paid. She was quite willing and ready to accommodateher customers.
As the little party were driving in by the tumble-down gates, Nina,however, made a remark. She raised her light blue eyes and looked fullat Brenda and said, in a tone of question and some alarm:
"Do you really, really think, Brenda, that pink muslin is the mostsuitable sort of dress for red girls like us?"
"Of course she doesn't," said Fanchon.
Josephine was silent. Brenda looked hastily from one of her pupils tothe other.
"Listen," she said, "I have considered the subject of your toiletteswith the utmost care. Your good father can allow very little for yourclothes. He imagines that you will wear stout cotton dresses duringyour sojourn at Marshlands-on-the-Sea, but I do not intend you to appearin anything so _gauche_. I have, therefore, bought delicate muslin,which will be made up to suit you. Of course pink muslin will suit you;it is _the_ colour for blondes like yourselves."
"Blondes, are we?" said Nina--"I thought we were reds!"
"You little goose!" exclaimed Brenda, bending forward and kissing Ninawith affection. "Haven't you just the darlingest little face, and wholoves you if your own Brenda does not? But talk to your father on thesubject if you wish, and I will change the pink muslins for cottonsto-morrow--I can easily do so."
"Oh, no--no," said Fanchon.
Josephine shut her lips. Nina nestled up to her governess in an ecstasyof love and affection. If indeed she was a blonde--that lovely word--why, the pink muslin _must_ suit her!
CHAPTER SEVEN.
LIGHT BLUE SILK.
During the days that elapsed between the purchase of the pale blue silkand the grand fete at Mrs Hazlitt's school, it may well be supposedthat Brenda Carlton was very busy. Not Penelope at school, not any ofthose girls who were to take the characters of Tennyson's "Dream of FairWomen," were as much occupied as this young woman. She had so much tothink of and to do; for she had not only to see about her own toilette,which meant frequent visits to Madame Declasse's, at Rocheford, andtherefore frequent demands for the pony trap, but she had also to helpthe girls to make up their pink muslins.
She was sorry to have to dress her pupils in a colour she knew in herheart of hearts could not possibly suit them, but she argued with herown conscience that no possible dress that she could devise would makethe Misses Amberley look well and, that being the case, they might justas soon be frightful as not. She had no pricks of conscience withregard to this matter. The little red-haired girls were useful to herfor the time being. She intended to have a delightful outing at theseaside and, in order to effect this, she must keep the Reverend Josiahin the best of humours until her grand month was over.
This was quite easy to accomplish as long as the girls themselves werepleased. But Brenda was by no means a fool, and she judged by certainremarks of Nina's, who was the most innocent of the confiding three,that already a few ugly little suspicions with regard to their governesswere animating their small breasts. In short, they were the sort ofgirls who would very soon discover for themselves the wickedness of thiswicked world. They were not specially amiable; there was nothingwhatever attractive about them. When once they discovered Brenda, asBrenda really was, her position in the Reverend Josiah's establishmentwould come to an end.
Well, she intended to secure another home before then. There was acertain rich young man whom she hoped to attract while atMarshlands-on-the-Sea. When once engaged to him, it mattered little toher what any of the Amberleys thought about her. Still, the presentfortnight must be used to the best advantage, and Brenda took great carehow she trimmed the white hate. She made them look exceedingly prettyand stylish, for she had wonderful fingers which could contrive andarrange the very simplest materials as though by magic. The pink muslinfrocks were also made to suit each girl. It did not matter if they werea little skimpy; the girls were all young, and Nina, in particular,ought still to wear very short skirts.
"No, Nina," said her governess, "I am not going to give you flounces,but I shall put a couple of false tucks upon the muslin skirt."
"I'd much rather have flounces," said Nina, who was nearly in tears. "Ilike little tiny frills, they are so pretty, and you have given them toFanchon and to Josephine."
"That is the very reason, _cherie_, why you must not have them," wasBrenda's remark. "The washing will be altogether too expensive. Yourpoor, dear papa, who is taking no holiday himself, cannot possiblyafford the laundry bills which I shall have to send him if all yourdresses are flounced."
This argument seemed conclusive, and Nina had to be satisfied--that is,she pretended to be, but there was her little scheme of vengeanceworking up in her small brain, and she intended to talk it over with hersisters on the eighth of July, that long, long, wonderful day whenbeautiful Brenda would not be with them, and when they could do exactlyas they liked.
Clever as she was, Brenda could not guess the thoughts which filled herlittle pupil's brain, and she was too much interested in her own affairsjust then to trouble herself much about so insignificant a young person.
Meanwhile, time flew as it always does when one is busy, and Brenda'sown delicate and beautiful dress arrived at the rectory two days beforeshe was to wear it. Now, Brenda did not want any of her pupils to seeher in this dress, and above all things, she did not wish the ReverendJosiah to perceive that she--that absolutely dependent orphan--couldleave his establishment attired in pale blue silk. She trusted much tothe white serge coat, which she had ordered, to cover the silk.Nevertheless, she knew she must run some dangers. As a matter of fact,she had only spent about thirty shillings on each of her pupils, andhad, therefore, purloined from the sum which had been given her fortheir clothes four pounds ten wherewith to line her own pockets. Thisshe hoped would never be discovered, nor would it have been, had Ninanot been quite so sharp, and Fanchon so really discontented with thequality of the muslin dress she was to wear at Marshlands-on-the-Sea.
"Please, please, Brenda," said Fanchon, on the day before the greatfete, "won't you put on your pale blue silk, and let us see you in it?It has come, I know, for I was in the garden when the carrier arrivedwith that great box from Madame Declasse's. Father was with us, and heasked what could be in the box."
"And what did you say, dear?"
"I said it was a box full of pots for making jam--that you had boughtthe pots the day we were at Rocheford, as you thought it would be such agood thing for cook to turn all the goose
berries into jam while we wereat the seaside."
"What a very clever little Fanchon you are!" said Brenda, looking veryattentively at her pupil. "And what did papa say--dear innocent papa?"
"Oh, he was ever so pleased--he loves gooseberry jam, and said that wemust on no account strip the trees beforehand, so as to leave plenty forcook to boil down to put into the pots."
"What a mercy he didn't feel the box!" was Brenda's remark. "I dothink, Fanchon, you are very clever--very wicked, of course, and Isuppose you ought to be punished. But there--you meant well, didn'tyou?"
"I suppose I did," said Fanchon, raising her pale blue eyes and fixingthem on her governess' face.
Brenda looked back at the girl. She