Jasper Read online

themantelpiece, which told that eight o'clock was fast approaching; muchnearer at hand, according to present appearances, than the completion ofChrissie's toilet.

  "And you think I won't be ready," replied Chrissie. "Well then, you'lljust see," and she rushed at her clothes in a rapid but veryhelter-skelter fashion, stopping, however, with her skirt half over herhead, to have another fling at Leila. "What's the matter with you thismorning?" she said. "Why do you say `mother,'" and she copied hersister's subdued tone of voice in a very irritating way, "like that?What a prig you can be, Leila! For my part I'd rather you were as lazyas a dormouse, staying in bed all day if you like, than to be soaffected and lackadaisical."

  No answer to this tirade was vouchsafed, and just then Harriet knockedat the door.

  "All right," called Chrissie, "I'm ready--readier than Miss Leila,Harriet,--she hasn't fastened her belt yet, and nowadays it's got to befirst come, first served, so here's my comb--hurry up."

  Harriet was young and countrified, and, to tell the truth, rather in aweof "the young ladies," whom hitherto she had only heard of in her aunt'sletters as beings not far removed from little princesses. So she gave ahalf-nervous laugh, and set to work at Christabel's thick curls, Leila--her belt fastened by this time--standing by with a solemn, resignedexpression of face.

  As a rule it was no easy task to "do" Miss Chrissie's hair, the owner ofit being given to amusing little excursions about the room during theprocess, dragging her unfortunate attendant after her, in spite of allremonstrances. But this morning, out of sheer contradiction I fear, shestood like a lamb, and as soon as the ribbons were tied, dashed off,shouting, "Who's first--who's first? Who'll be first downstairs afterall?"

  "Chrissie, Chrissie," Leila called out, and this time she really meantwell, and had forgotten for the moment all about being an innocentmartyr, "Chrissie, you haven't said your prayers, and your--"

  But a whistle from the staircase--plainly heard, though it was not avery successful one, as Christabel had been true to her rule of notshutting the door--was the only reply, and Leila sighed.

  "Miss Chrissie do be a high-spirited young lady," quoth Harriet with arespectful little cough.

  "What did you say?" asked Leila, as if awaking from a dream. "Oh yes--you wouldn't think I was _only_ a year and a half older than she is,would you?"

  "No indeed, Miss," was the reply in an awe-struck tone, and again Leilasighed and retreated to her self-chosen character of unappreciatedheroine.

  It was rather provoking, though entirely her own fault, that, in spiteof her prompt getting up and irreproachable behaviour, she was _not_down early. For only when her little brother tapped at the door did sheagain glance at the clock, and started to see that it was alreadytwenty-five minutes to nine.

  "Lelly, Lelly, Mumsey's sent me for you. We're all down 'cept you."

  Leila opened the door.

  "Oh dear, it's too bad!" she exclaimed. "I've been ready ever so long.I got up ages before Chrissie."

  "Never mind, poor Lelly," said Jasper consolingly. "You'se not reallylate. Nobody's vexed wif you. And you do look so neat," he went onadmiringly, as hand-in-hand they hastened downstairs. "Chrissie seemsall--all in a muddle," he added anxiously. "I saw Daddy lookin' at herrather funnily, though he didn't say nothin'."

  "It's her own fault. I shan't be sorry for her if she gets scolded,"said Leila. "She only hurried down to be before me."

  And when she caught sight of her sister at table, she really feltsurprised that her father's annoyance had been only shown by "funny"looks. Christabel--except that, thanks to Harriet, her hair was fairlytidy--might have passed for a well-to-do scarecrow. Her collar was allon one side, her blouse buttoned crookedly, her face far from clean--herhands and nails--but perhaps it is better not to enter into particularsas to these! She seemed quite pleased with herself, however, and mixedin the conversation even more than was called for.

  "It is going to be a very wet day, I fear. It is such a pity. I had sohoped it would be bright and clear," said Mrs Fortescue.

  "Why do you mind, Mumsey?" asked Christabel. "It's hotter than if ithad been yesterday and we'd had to paddle to church in the rain. Ithink it's much the worst for _us_ now when it's wet--with nowhereproper to play in."

  "Your mother was not asking your opinion," said Mr Fortescue drily, andChrissie's face darkened. She hated being "snubbed" more, I think, thananything else in the world, but no one took any notice of her annoyance,and her father went on speaking to her mother as if there had been nointerruption.

  "You must not think of coming to the station," he said. "You wouldprobably catch cold, for--" and for once, poor man, he sighed a little,"you would come in an omnibus, I am sure, and on a day like this youmight have to wait some time to get a seat. Much better stay quietly athome, and have everything ready and comfortable for her when shearrives." He hesitated a little. He was on the point of adding a wordor two, almost of appeal, to the two girls, but Christabel's crossexpression and Leila's air of dreamy self absorption were notencouraging.

  "Very well, then," Mrs Fortescue replied, though with evident regret."Perhaps you are wiser about it. Then we may expect you about--when--four o'clock?"

  "Yes, or a little later," was the reply, as Mr Fortescue rose to go,Roland having already hurried off.

  "And mayn't I help you, Mumsey?" whispered Jasper, edging up to hismother. "If only there was some flowers in the garden to put in herroom!"

  "Perhaps she will bring--" Mrs Fortescue was beginning, when Chrissieinterrupted.

  "What _are_ you talking about, Japs?" she said pertly. "Flowers--in themiddle of winter, even if there was a garden, which there isn't. Whatdoes he want them for, Mums?"

  Her mother looked at her in silence for a moment. She had stood up andwas holding Jasper's hand tightly in her own, almost as if the touch ofit strengthened and cheered her. Then she said quietly--

  "You cannot have forgotten surely, or if you have you should not havedone so, that Aunt Margaret is expected to-day, and naturally we want tomake her coming to us--the only home she has now--as bright and happy aspossible." Christabel tossed her head. "I was going to say, Japsdear," she added to the child, "that very likely there will be someflowers from the Fareham conservatories. The last we can have! But itwill be nice if there are."

  "Mayn't we have some in our room?" asked Leila suddenly. The word"flowers coming" had caught her ears, though she had heard nothing else.

  "I cannot say till I see what there are," replied Mrs Fortescue, andLeila relapsed into silence, and turning to the window, stood gazing outat the rainswept street.

  "Even a few flowers grudged me," she thought. "I wish I hadn't askedfor them," and indeed the doing so had been an impulse not at all of apiece with her attitude of "suffering saint."

  "Chrissie," Mrs Fortescue began again, "did you look at yourself in theglass before you came down? you had better do so now. You areinexcusably untidy."

  "Am I?" said Christabel airily. "Well, yes, my collar's crooked, Ifeel." She gave a tug to it, but in the wrong direction, which did notimprove matters. "It was all."

  "You're not to say _I_ had anything to do with it, or you, thismorning," snapped out Leila.

  "Hush," said their mother. "Go upstairs, Christabel, and dress yourselfproperly, and above all, wash your face and hands carefully."

  "I did wash them--at least I think I did, after I got out of my bath,"Chrissie replied. "They can't have been very bad or Dads would havenoticed them."

  "I am quite sure he did, but we did not want another breakfast upset byyou children, like yesterday," said Mrs Fortescue. "Go now and do as Ihave told you," and Chrissie went off, pretending to whistle. "Leila,"she continued, "what are you intending to do this morning?"

  "Mayn't I have my book back?" asked Leila, "I did get up early."

  "It is in the drawing-room," her mother replied. "Yes, you may have it,but in the first place I want you and Chrissie to help a little in thehouse
. I am thinking of leaving the dusting of the drawing-room everymorning to you, if you will be very careful with the ornaments. Harrietsweeps and brushes and does the fire of course, early, but the dustingtakes time, and she is very busy in the mornings." Leila stared.

  "_Us_ dust--like housemaids," she said, and a sharp pang ofdisappointment went through her mother, for she had really expected thatthe little girls would have felt interest, and even pride, in takingupon them the charge she proposed--a far from difficult or disagreeableone.

  Leila, not observing her mother's change of expression, went on coolly.

  "What's the hurry with the drawing-room?" she said. "The fire's not tobe lighted first thing, I suppose. Harriet can surely dust it beforethe middle of the day."

  "No," replied Mrs Fortescue, "I do not think she can. Certainly shecould not do it properly. At your age I should have been very proud ofbeing trusted with a little work of the kind; besides--"

  "I daresay, Mummy, you were an angelic child, and certainly neitherChrissie nor I pretend to be anything of the sort; it seems to me thatfathers and mothers always were pieces of perfection by what one hearsthem say of themselves."

  Her words were almost impertinent, but her tone sounded as if she werehalf in fun, so her mother took no notice of the interruption:"besides," she went on, "the drawing-room from now must be ready earlyfor Aunt Margaret. She must have all the comfort we can give her."

  "Aunt Margaret," repeated Leila, opening her eyes very wide. "But it'snot fixed about her coming, is it?"

  Then Mrs Fortescue's patience began to give way.

  "Leila, you are too bad," she exclaimed. "What have you been thinkingof all this time? You heard your father talking of going to thestation? You yourself asked if you could have some of the flowers? Youmust have understood that Aunt Margaret is coming to-day--thisafternoon."

  Leila looked rather foolish.

  "To-day," she repeated lamely. "I--well, yes, I remember about theflowers, but I thought they were being sent up from Fareham as usual."

  Perhaps for peace' sake it was as well that just then Harriet came in toclear the breakfast-table, and Mrs Fortescue hurried off to her morninginterview with Susan in the kitchen, leaving Leila still staring out ofthe window. But the clatter and bustle of Harriet's rather clumsymovements fidgeted her. She turned to the door and made her way slowlyinto the drawing-room.

  "I may as well get my book," she said to herself, though I _hope_ thatin her heart there was some faint intention of fulfilling the task hermother had spoken of. Arrived in the drawing-room, she stood still andlooked round her.

  "So this, the only decent room in the house, is to be given up to AuntMargaret," she thought, "and we're to be her servants! Well--it's allof a piece: but _Chrissie_ won't stand it, and it will all fall upon me,no doubt, like everything else disagreeable. Yes I would far, farrather be a governess, or even what they call a pupil-teacher, in aschool, than be treated like a _servant_ in my own home. If only I werea little older."

  Then her eyes fell on her book. She took it up and sat down, fingeringthe pages.

  "I can't dust without a towel or a cloth or whatever they call it, and Idon't know where to get one. I may as well read till Chrissie comesdown," and in two moments she was lost to everything outside her story.

  Luckily, however, as she probably would have caught cold from sittingstill in a fireless room where the window was still slightly open at thetop, and the door, of course, ajar--luckily, she was not long left inpeace. A clatter and dash down the staircase, and Christabel's voice--

  "Where are you, Lell? Answer, can't you?" as she dived in and out ofthe dining-room, without finding her sister. "Oh, there you are! Youcan't be hidden for long in this cupboard of a house."

  Her good-humour seemed restored, and as Leila, unwillingly enough,glanced up in response to this summons, she saw that Christabel, if notvery tidy as yet, still looked better than at the breakfast-table.

  "What are you doing? Oh, reading of course. I say, it's freezing inhere. Don't you see the window's half open and there's no fire. Whydon't you stay in the dining-room? There's no one there," Chrissie wenton.

  "Mother will be coming there directly, and I don't want her to see mejust now," said Leila. "Chrissie," she went on, feeling too much inneed of sympathy to keep up her role of solitary martyrdom. "Chrissie,what _do_ you think Mummy's just been telling me? Shut the window,can't you, if you don't like it open. I'm sure _I_ don't care whetherit's open or shut--I'm far too miserable;" and Chrissie, her curiosityaroused, for once obeyed without a murmur, and then turned eagerly toLeila.

  "What?" she asked, "are we to be sent to school?"

  Leila shrugged her shoulders.

  "I only wish it was that," she said. "No--of course they'd say a goodschool would cost too much, and they couldn't send us to a common one.No, it's nothing about lessons. I daresay we shan't be taught anymore--it doesn't seem as if we'd need to be! No--it's this--you and Iare to be _housemaids_!"

  "What do you mean?" exclaimed Christabel, "you are talking nonsense."

  Leila explained, but to her chagrin she did not meet with the sympathyshe expected. On the contrary, Christabel's eyes sparkled.

  "Dusting the drawing-room," she repeated. "Oh, I don't mind that. Itwill be fun. I shall like it, at least," she added candidly, "till Iyet tired of it. I'd much rather do it than tidy up our own room."

  "You may be quite sure you'll have to do both," said Leila gloomily,"and you'd better not talk about getting tired of it."

  "Well, any way, I'm quite ready to begin at once," said Chrissie."Where are the things--dusters--and soft brushes--feather brushes; I'veseen them using them for china ornaments, haven't I?"

  "_I_ don't know," groaned Leila, without moving; and with a contemptuous"you are a lazy idiot," Chrissie darted off. But she was brought to asudden standstill in the doorway by running against Jasper, who wasmaking his way in, carrying some cloths, and one or two brushes, amongthem a feather one, which he evidently much admired, as he held italoft. It was of several colours.

  "Isn't it pretty?" he said. "It's to stay in the droind-room, Mumseysays, just to be used a werry little--for the bestest orniments, Is'pose. But here's another one, and lots of dustiners for us all."

  "Dusters, you silly," corrected Chrissie, "but, they're for Lell and me,Japs. _You_ can't dust."

  "Mumsey says I might 'elp," he exclaimed, for his "h's," like those ofall young children, still sometimes deserted him, when he was veryeager. "I'll be _werry_ careful--Mums said I might do the tiny iv'ryfigures--what Dads brought from Inja, you know," and he pointed to somecurious and valuable little carvings, which Mr Fortescue had not foundit in his heart to part with.

  Chrissie glanced at them.

  "Well, you couldn't very easily break those, I suppose," she said."Give me a duster: and Lell, wake up, can't you?"

  Leila slowly rose and looked about her. There was really not very muchfear of the amateur housemaids doing any damage, for Mrs Fortescue hadtaken care to place the few ornaments of value in a glazed cabinet, andonly left out several pretty but not very rare or irreplaceable things,just to give the room a bright and homelike look. And one side-tablewas left quite bare.

  "We must put some things--books any way,"--said Leila, "on that table--it looks so silly with nothing at all;" and she was on the point ofdoing so, for, in spite of herself, she was beginning to enter into thespirit of their new occupation a little, when Jasper stopped her.

  "That table's to be for Aunt Margaret," he said. "She'll keep her booksand things there. And there's a nice deep drawer--that goes down quitelow, you see," he opened it as he spoke, "for her work, Mums says."

  "How do you know about it?" asked his sisters, rather sharply. "You aresuch a prig," added Chrissie.

  "Mumsey showed it me when we was settlin' about the dustin' thismornin'," he replied calmly.

  Leila and Chrissie looked at each other.

  "_Real
ly_," said the former, though in a low voice, "I do think mothershould talk to _us_ about what she is going to make us do before shediscusses it all with a baby like Jasper."

  Christabel did not at once answer. She was less of a self-deceiver thanLeila, and she knew that neither she nor her sister had behaved in sucha way as to let it be easy or pleasant for their mother to consult themabout the new state of things.

  "I don't suppose she said much to him," she replied, "and he's not a bita tell-tale--he never makes mischief. He's really a good littlefellow--much better than we