by L. T. Meade
Annieglanced at her, and made up her mind that Lady Lushington was a verygrand person indeed; that she (Annie), in spite of all her temerity, wasgoing to be a little bit afraid of her; and that, of course, the reasonfor the great lady's present discontent was the fact of Priscilla'soutrageous conduct.
The three ladies hardly spoke at all, Mabel having quite sufficient tactto respect her aunt's present mood. But as the dinner came to an end,concluding with the most delicious ice Annie had ever tasted in all herlife, she could not help bending forward and saying in a low tone toMabel:
"What a great pity it is that our Priscie is such a fool!"
Low as her tone was, it reached lady Lushington's ears, who immediatelyturned and said in a snappish voice:
"Whom do you mean by our Priscie, Miss Brooke?"
"Why, Priscilla Weir, of course," answered Annie, colouring as shespoke, and looking particularly sweet and innocent.
"And why did you call her a fool?" was Lady Lushington's next remark.
"Oh," said Annie--"oh"--Mabel longed to kick Annie's foot, but could notmanage to reach it. Annie plunged desperately into hot water. "Oh,"she added, "Priscilla--oh, Priscilla is so ridiculous; she has lost thisdelicious dinner and--and--rejected your kindness in giving her suchdainty garments. I do pity her so much, and am so sorry that your greatkindness should be thrown away."
"Then, pray," said Lady Lushington, "keep your pity for me entirely toyourself, for I can assure you, Miss Brooke, that I do not need it. Asto Miss Weir, she may or may not be a fool--I do not know her wellenough to be able to give an opinion on that point--but she is at leasta thorough lady."
Annie gazed, with her coral lips slightly open.
"A thorough lady," continued Lady Lushington, glancing with cruel eyesat the white muslin and lace frock which adorned Annie's little person.
"Then you are not angry with her?" said Annie. "I thought, after yourkindness--But of course she is going in the morning, isn't she?"
"Miss Weir accompanies us to Interlaken," said Lady Lushington, rising."That is settled; and she wears her own dress, as an honest girl should.She may look peculiar; doubtless she will; but she is unaffected andhas a noble way about her. Now let us change the subject--Girls, wouldyou like to come out into the court for a few minutes to listen to theband, or are you, Miss Brooke, too tired, and would you prefer to go tobed?"
"I think I will go to bed, please," said Annie in a small, meek, crushedsort of voice.
"Very well," said Lady Lushington; "you are quite wise.--Mabel, takeyour friend to the lift and give her over to Parker's care.--Goodnight,Miss Brooke. Remember we start very early in the morning, but Parkerwill wake you and bring you your coffee."
When, ten minutes later, Mabel joined her aunt Henrietta in the court ofthe famous hotel, Lady Lushington turned to her.
"May I ask," she remarked, "what earthly reason induced you to ask acommonplace person like Miss Brooke to join our expedition?"
"Oh, I thought you would like her," said Mabel. "She--she is a greatfriend of mine." Mabel spoke in considerable alarm, for if indeed AuntHenrietta turned against Annie, she would find herself in a most seriousposition. Lady Lushington was silent for a minute or two; then shesaid:
"To be frank with you, Mabel, I don't at the present moment like her atall. Whether I change my mind or not remains to be proved. PriscillaWeir is a fine creature, and worth twenty of that blue-eyed doll; but Isuppose, as they have both come, we must put up with Miss Brooke for ashort time. I may as well tell you frankly, however, Mabel, that Ishall send her back to England, if she does not please me very muchbetter than she has done on this first evening, at the first possibleopportunity."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
INGRATIATING SECRETARY.
But Lady Lushington, when she took a prejudice against Annie Brooke,reckoned without her host. Annie was far too clever to allow this stateof things to continue long.
The next day the three girls and Lady Lushington started _en route_ forInterlaken. There they put up at one of the most fashionable hotels,and there Annie began to find her feet and gradually to undermine LadyLushington's prejudice against her. Even if Mabel had not whispered thedisconcerting fact to her that she had not made a good, impression onher aunt, Annie was far too sharp not to discover it for herself whenMabel said to her on that first night in the Grand Hotel in Paris, "Imust tell you the truth, Annie; you are a failure so far; you have notpleased Aunt Henrietta, and Priscie has. I don't know what I shall doif you leave me, but I know Aunt Hennie will send you back pretty sharpto England if you don't alter your tactics, and how I am ever to meetall that lies before me if this happens is more than I can fathom."
Annie had assured her friend that she need not be the least afraid, and,knowing the truth, or part of the truth, took her measures accordingly.
They had not been settled at the Belle Vue Hotel, Interlaken, more thantwo days before Lady Lushington, who was an exceedingly selfish, worldlywoman, although quite kind-hearted, began to alter her mind with regardto both Annie Brooke and Priscilla Weir.
Priscilla, notwithstanding her fine and impressive eyes, her honestmanner, and her earnest wish to make herself pleasant, lookedundoubtedly _gauche_ in the old-fashioned garments which were mostlymade for her by poor Susan Martin. Lady Lushington found that thoughpeople remarked on Priscilla when she walked with the others in thefashionable part of the town or sat with them when they listened to theband or took her place in the _salle-a-manger_ by their sides, yet thoseglances were by no means ones of admiration. The girl looked oppressedby a certain care, and dowdy beyond all words. Lady Lushington likedher, and yet she did not like her. She felt, however, bound to keep toher compact--to make the best of poor Priscilla. Accordingly, she toldher friends that Priscilla Weir was a genius, and a little quaint withregard to her clothes, and that, in consequence, she had to put up withher peculiar dress.
"But she is such an honest good creature," said Lady Lushington inconclusion, "that I am quite glad to have her as a companion for Mabel."
Now the people to whom Lady Lushington gave this confidence were by nomeans interested in Priscilla's predilection for quaint clothes. Theypronounced her an oddity, and left her to the fate of all oddities--namely, to herself. Annie, on the contrary, who made the best ofeverything, and who looked quite ravishingly pretty in the smart frockswhich Parker, by Lady Lushington's desire, supplied her with, came infor that measure of praise which was denied to poor Priscie. Annielooked very modest, too, and had such charming, unaffected, ingenuousblue eyes, the blue eyes almost of a baby.
Lady Lushington found her first prejudices melting out of sight as shewatched Annie's grace and noticed her apparent unselfishness.
It was Annie's cue to be unselfish during these days, and LadyLushington began to form really golden opinions with regard to hercharacter. She had been very nice on the journey, taking the mostuncomfortable seat and thinking of every one's comfort except her own.She had been delightful when they reached Interlaken, putting up with avery small and hot bedroom almost in the roof of the hotel. And now shebegan to make herself useful to Lady Lushington.
This great lady had a vast amount of voluminous correspondence. Sheliked writing to her friends in her own illegible hand, but she hatedwriting business letters. Now Annie wrote an exceedingly neat andlegible hand, and when she offered herself as Lady Lushington'samanuensis, making the request in the prettiest voice imaginable, andlooking so eagerly desirous to help the good woman, Mabel's aunt felther last prejudice against Annie Brooke melting out of sight.
"Really, my dear," she said, "you are good-natured. It would be acomfort to dictate my letters to you, but I am stupid about businessletters. You do not mind if I dictate them very slowly?"
"Oh no," said Annie, "by no means; and I should so love to write themfor you. You do such a great deal for poor little me that if there isany small way in which I can help you I shall be more than glad. DearLady Lushington, you don't know how I fe
el your kindness."
"You are very good to say so, Miss Brooke. I have invited you herebecause you are Mabel's friend."
"Sweet Mabel!" murmured Annie; "her very greatest friend. But now, mayI help you?"
"Well, bring those letters over here--that pile on the table. We may aswell get through them."
Annie immediately found note-paper, blotting-paper, pens and ink, also asupply of foreign stamps and post-cards. She laid the letters in a pileon Lady Lushington's lap.
"Now," she said, "if you will read them aloud to me and tell me what tosay, I will write as slowly as ever you like. You can lean back in yourcomfortable chair; we will get through them