CHAPTER XII.
SARAH BROWN SPEAKS HER MIND.
"Now where do you suppose they came from, Marion? I don't know of anyone round here who has a conservatory; they must have come fromSpringfield. Who could have sent them?" asked Sarah Brown.
"I'm sure I don't know; aren't they lovely?" replied Marion; "but herecomes Miss Christine,--let's ask her. Miss Christine," she said, turninground quickly as her teacher entered the room, "who sent you theselovely flowers yesterday?"
Miss Christine started at the abrupt, point-blank question, and looked atrifle confused:--
"Why, really, Marion, I--that is,--M. Beranger sent them here; but, asthe box had no address, I presume they were for the benefit of the wholeschool. I certainly did not intend to monopolize them."
"No, of course you didn't, you dear old Christian!" exclaimed Marionwith the affectionate familiarity she often used towards her teacher;"of course you didn't; and as they were meant for all of us, you won'tmind it a bit if I appropriate this little sprig of geranium, and dojust as I've a mind to with it, now will you?"
"No, I don't think I could refuse that, although it does seem a pity totake it out of water. Why, Marion, what are you going to do withit?--put it in my hair! No, no, it's too pretty, and it will wither insuch a little while; do take it out!"
"No, I shan't do any such a thing. You gave it to me to do just what Ichose with it, and I _choose_ to have it in your hair; so you must nottake it out."
"No, Miss Christine, don't!" exclaimed Sarah Brown. "You ought to keepit in, even if it's only to please Marion, for most girls would havestuck it in their own heads; but she never _says_ anything or _does_anything like most girls."
"Hold your tongue, Sarah!" peremptorily replied Marion; "you don't knowwhat you're talking about."
"Yes, I do," replied Sarah, emphasizing every word with a shake of thehead. "I know perfectly well what I am talking about, and you know Iknow it, and _I_ know I shan't know it much longer without lettingsomebody else know it; so there!"
"Well, Sarah," said Miss Christine, who could not resist joining Marionin a hearty laugh at Sarah's excited and rather incoherent sentence, "ifyou and Marion know what you are talking about, that is certainly morethan I can say, and as it is never polite to allude to a secret in thepresence of a third party. I think I ought to be that somebody else,whom you are 'to let know it;'" and Miss Christine shook her head inlaughing imitation of Sarah.
"Well, I'll tell you one thing, Miss Christine; it's about Marion's--"
"Sarah Brown, hold your tongue!" cried Marion, at the same time clappingher hand over Sarah's mouth.
"Marion Berkley, I shan't!" cried Sarah, struggling to free herself, andgasping out at intervals broken sentences perfectly unintelligible toMiss Christine; then, as Marion loosed her hold, she shouted: "It'sabout Marion's break-down! there!"
"Sarah Brown, you'll be sorry for this!" cried Marion, her eyes flashingwith indignation.
"Sarah! Marion!" exclaimed Miss Christine, looking from one to theother in utter amazement. "I don't understand you at all; what is thisall about?"
"She doesn't know what she is talking about, and I think she had bettermind her own business!" exclaimed Marion.
"I do know what I'm talking about, and it's just as much my business asit is any one else's; if it isn't, I'll make it so."
"Girls! girls! you cannot think how you grieve and astonish me. Do youknow how you are talking? Your language is unladylike in the extreme.But"--turning to Sarah--"even that is not so unpardonable as thethoughtlessness which could lead you to speak of Marion's failure lastnight, when you know it must be extremely unpleasant for her to have italluded to in any way."
"Miss Christine, it's too bad for you to speak so to me," cried Sarah,the tears now streaming down her cheeks, and her voice pitched to itsmost excited tones. "You know I just worship Marion, only she won't letme show it, and I never did an unkind thing to her in my life; but Itold her I should tell about the Polonaise, and so I will; no one shallstop me!"
"Sarah, you forget to whom you are speaking," quietly replied MissChristine, adding as she glanced at Marion, and noticed that she stoodwith her lips tightly compressed, "If you have the affection for Marionwhich you profess, you will cease to speak of a subject which evidentlyannoys her."
"Well, it has no business to annoy her, and I mean to tell every girl inthe school," retorted Sarah, now fairly beside herself; and raising hervoice until she fairly shouted, she called to the girls who were passingthe door, on the way to the library, "Come in here, girls! come in here,every one of you! Yes, Georgie Graham, you too, I want you all. Nowlisten to what I've got to say. You all thought Marion Berkley ought tohave been ashamed of herself to play the Polonaise when she knew Georgiewas going to play it; and you were all glad she broke down, becausealmost all of you hate her, and are jealous of her because she's thehandsomest, and the smartest, and the very best girl in the school everyway; and because she doesn't say one thing to your back and another toyour face, the way most of you do; but I'll tell you why she played it.She played it because that creature there--" pointing her finger atGeorgie, who happened to be the central figure in the group ofastonished listeners--"because that girl was in the anteroom_listening_, _eaves-dropping_, as she always is, and knew all about themusicale two weeks before any of us, and practised, and practised, bystealth, just for no other reason than to show off before company, andput Marion in the shade; and Marion played it just to punish Georgie forthat and fifty other mean things she's done. I suppose you think it washateful in Marion; but _I_ don't; I only just wish that for once she'dhad a little of Georgie's _brass_,--for _she's_ got enough for everygirl in the school,--and then she wouldn't have broken down. But Ihaven't done yet," exclaimed the excited girl, after stopping to takebreath, "I haven't done yet; when Miss Christine told Marion how sorryshe was that Georgie should have played the piece she had chosen, Mariontold her the whole truth up and down. No, not the whole truth. She nevertold about Georgie's listening to Miss Stiefbach; no, not a word! Shejust told her she deserved to break down herself for having treatedGeorgie so unkindly; and there aren't a dozen girls in the school butwhat would have told on another to save herself. Now, who do you thinkwas the mean one, I should like to know?" and Sarah glanced round theroom with an air of triumph; then as suddenly changing her expressionto one of contempt, she exclaimed, "You needn't say anything. I know youthink just as Marion does, that I've been meddling in business that doesnot concern me; but I don't care _that_ for one of you;" and, snappingher fingers in the air, Sarah sat down in the nearest chair, completelyexhausted by her harangue.
"Young ladies! young ladies! what is the meaning of this noise?"exclaimed Miss Stiefbach, in utter amazement, as she entered the room byanother door from that around which almost all the scholars werecrowded. "Why are you not at work in the library? Miss Christine,explain the cause of this excitement."
Miss Christine, who had heretofore been completely overpowered by thesuddenness and volubility of Sarah's outbreak, saw at a glance thatsomething must be done at once to prevent her from going through thewhole again to Miss Stiefbach; for she dreaded the effect it might haveupon her sister, knowing that she would look upon the matter from hercold, calculating point of view, and probably punish Sarah severely forher disrespectful conduct, utterly ignoring the generous impulses whichhad led to it. As for Georgie, when she hastily glanced at her, and sawher usually haughty head hanging in shame and confusion, she felt thatfor the present at least her punishment was sufficiently severe. Sostepping forward and laying her hand on Sarah's shoulder, at the sametime placing herself almost directly in front of her, she turned to MissStiefbach and said:--
"Sarah has been rather disrespectful to me; but I do not think she wasintentionally rude. I shall have to send her to her own room to do hermending by herself. The rest of the young ladies must go at once to thelibrary, and I will be with them, directly."
Miss Stiefbach made no reply, although it did not
escape her keen eyethat more had been going on than she was made aware of; but she knew byprevious experience that there were times when Miss Christine's judgmentwas wiser than her own. She turned towards the door, and with acommanding gesture waved the girls out. Marion hesitated, and would haveheld back, but Miss Stiefbach coldly remarked:--
"Marion, unless you, too, are in disgrace, you will please leave theroom;" and motioning her to lead the way sailed out of the parlor.
The instant they were gone Sarah threw her arms around her teacher'sneck and sobbed aloud.
"I could not help it, Sarah; indeed I could not," said Miss Christinewith a troubled voice as she stroked her pupil's hair; "it certainly wasvery wrong of you to behave so, and if I had not sent you to your room Ishould have had to tell Miss Stiefbach all about it, and I am afraid shewould have punished you more severely than I have."
"It isn't that, Miss Christine, it isn't that," sobbed Sarah. "I'd agreat deal rather go to my room; and you knew it when you sent me there.It's about Marion; she said she'd never speak to me again if I told; shedidn't know I knew about it until this morning."
"Well, how did you know it, dear; did any one tell you?"
"No, and I wasn't listening either," exclaimed Sarah, raising herflushed face; "but several of us knew how Georgie found out about themusicale, and I noticed, just as Marion did, how much she had practisedthe Polonaise, and last night I heard her tell one of the girls she wasglad Marion broke down, it just _did her good_; and I determined thenI'd pay her for it. I was standing very near you, though you did notknow it, when Marion told you all about it last night, and I thought itwas outrageous that she should bear all the blame; and before M.Beranger too! It was a shame! But oh, dear, Miss Christine, it hasn'tdone a bit of good! She'll just hate me now, I know she will, for shealmost made me promise not to tell."
"I cannot say I quite approve of your method of doing Marion justice,but I hardly think she will be very severe to such a disinterestedlittle champion," said Miss Christine, who could not help smiling at theutter wretchedness of Sarah's tone; "however, here she comes to speakfor herself."
"O Miss Christine, do come in there! I made an excuse to get me somedarning-cotton; but Miss Stiefbach's reading the most stupid book ofsermons; do come in and take her place! What!" as she caught sight ofSarah, "is she here yet?"
"Yes, Marion, she is here, and is making herself perfectly miserable,because she believes she has made you an enemy for life. Don't you thinkyou can convince her of the contrary?"
"O Marion!" sobbed Sarah, "please don't be mad with me, for I reallycould not help it. I thought I was doing it all for your good, and whenI got started I _could_ not stop till I had it all out."
"You little bit of a goose! did you really think I was going to be angrywith you after making such a thrilling stump-speech in my favor?" andthrowing herself on her knees beside Sarah's chair, Marion looked up ather with a smiling face, but with eyes not undimmed by tears.
"And you really think I did it from kindness?"
"Yes, I certainly do!"
"And you won't snub me any more?" cried Sarah, giving Marion apassionate kiss.
"Oh, I can't promise you that," laughed Marion; "a little, healthysnub, now and then, does you good, and I shouldn't be doing my duty if Ididn't give it to you, but"--and her voice assumed the tender,affectionate tone so rarely heard by her school-mates, and which touchedSarah even more than her words--"I shall never be really unkind to youagain, and I promise to love you as much as you wish."
"You really mean it, Marion? You really mean that you will love me?"
"Yes, I really mean it. Miss Christine shall be my witness that I havethis day gained a friend."
"Yes, my dear," answered Miss Christine, who had been a silent butinterested observer of this little scene: "and a truer one I do notthink you could have."
Marion Berkley: A Story for Girls Page 12