Jasper Page 13

were at his age, or than--"

  "Speak for yourself, if you please," interrupted Leila crossly. She hada very shrewd suspicion what the end of the sentence was going to be andshe did not want to hear it.

  Christabel set to work in her usual energetic way. Jasper had alreadybeen at his corner steadily for some minutes. He rubbed at the chairsas if they were ponies that he was grooming, calling out to his sistersto look how he had made the wood shine, and seeing him, and Chrissietoo, so active, Leila caught the infection, and being the tallest of thethree, took the mantelpiece ornaments as her special department, andfound to her surprise that she really enjoyed "housemaiding."

  So that the dusting proved quite a success, and when Mrs Fortescue,having given her orders downstairs and seen to the last arrangements fortheir expected guest upstairs, glanced in, to see what they were allabout, she was pleased and surprised to hear cheerful voices and to bemet by bright faces.

  "We've done it, Mummy--all, splendidly. I don't believe you could finda speck of dust if you looked for it with a microscope," cried Chrissie.

  "That's very nice--very nice indeed," replied her mother. "I hope youhaven't felt cold. From now, the fire will always be lighted early, andyou can come straight in here immediately after breakfast."

  "Or before," said Chrissie, with overflowing zeal. "I'm not afraid ofcold--when you're bustling about you never feel it."

  "Well," said her mother, smiling, "if Harriet gets her part done early,you may certainly follow her as soon as you like."

  "You may safely say so to Chrissie," said Leila. "I think it's betterto promise less and keep to what you undertake. I don't see that I cando my part any earlier, and you know, Mummy, Chrissie tires ofeverything much quicker than I do."

  "Then you must keep her up to the mark," said Mrs Fortescue. "Withenthusiasm in one and steadiness in the other, things should go on verywell, I think," and this pleasant little speech was fortunately in timeto stop a burst of indignation from Chrissie.

  "And I'll always make the chairs shine, Mummy. I'll never forget," saidJasper.

  "I'm sure you won't, my boy," replied his mother.

  But as she was just leaving the room as she spoke, it is to be hoped shedid not hear Leila's muttered--

  "Spoilt little prig that he is--"

  CHAPTER SEVEN.

  JASPER'S DREAM.

  The rain went on; by two o'clock Mrs Fortescue had given up any hope ofits clearing.

  "I do wish it had been brighter for poor Aunt Margaret's journey andarrival," she said more than once, when they were all at table.

  "Never mind, Mumsey," said Jasper, "it'll be nearly dark when she comes,won't it? And then when it's all lighted up in the house it'll notmatter outside."

  "I wish it was lighted up now," said Christabel dolefully. "It's aperfectly horrid day. It never seemed so dark and dull at home--therewere always nice things to do," and she sighed deeply.

  "That's something new," said Leila. "You used to grumble likeanything--even on fine days, because you had lessons to do, and when itrained, because you couldn't go out. _I_ don't mind a bit. I canalways read."

  "Poor Chrissie," said Mrs Fortescue, hastening to prevent a squabble,"I am afraid you have had a very dull morning. You will feel moresettled when you have some lessons again, won't you?"

  Her words roused the child's curiosity. Not that she was by any meanseager for schoolroom work to begin.

  "Are we going to have a governess?" she inquired. "I thought p'rapsyou'd teach us yourself, Mummy, as we've so little money now to pay forlessons."

  "And Roland's school will take all there is," murmured Leila gloomily."I wish I was a boy, I know that."

  Her mother glanced at her, but said nothing in reply to these remarks.And then she went on quietly--

  "Nothing is quite settled yet. I have had so many other things toattend to. I am thinking of taking your music lessons myself"--MrsFortescue played beautifully,--"but I should not have time for more. Ihope to find a good English teacher to come three or four mornings aweek, and Aunt Margaret wants to give you French lessons. You know sheis an excellent French scholar; she was educated in France and has beenthere so much."

  "Aunt Margaret!" repeated the children, and from their tone it wasdifficult to judge if the idea met with their gracious approval or not,and their mother showed no intention of inquiring as to this.

  "In the meantime," she continued, "I think you might make some sort ofplan for yourselves. And I want Jasper to have some lessons every day.Chrissie, you seem very short of occupation. Suppose you read with himthis afternoon, and give him a little writing and arithmetic?"

  Christabel hesitated.

  "I don't mind sums," she said, "I like them and I can explain them quitewell; but as for reading--he does read so slowly, Mummy--it was badenough to hear him with Miss Earle. I wanted to shake them both,often."

  Jasper's face grew very pink.

  "I did try, I really did," he murmured.

  "I daresay you did, but I couldn't be as patient as Miss Earle, and thenthere'd be fusses," objected Chrissie with great candour.

  "I'll be werry good," persisted Jasper. "I wish you'd do lessons withme. I'm beginnin' to forget lots, I'm sure," and the look in his smallface touched his sister. After all, it might be rather amusing, betterthan staring out of the window at the rain pouring down on the dullstreet.

  "Well, I'll try, as you want me so much to do it, Mummy," she said,though not too graciously. "I don't see why Leila shouldn't help," shewent on.

  "I've not been asked," said Leila, "and I've not been grumbling like youat having nothing to do."

  "I hope you will take your part in teaching Jasper, Leila," said hermother as she rose from her chair, "but to-day it is best to leave it toChrissie. You can come here as soon as Harriet has cleared the table,"she added to the new little governess.

  Jasper kept his promise--he tried his best manfully, and, for part ofthe time at least, Christabel did _her_ best. But even with realgoodwill, if one has not got the _habit_ of self-control, patience andgentleness, especially in teaching, cannot be learnt all at once.

  "You are too stupid for words," cried Chrissie, pushing away the bookbefore them violently. "At your age I could read perfectly--as well asI do now."

  "I _am_ tryin'," said the little boy, choking down a sob which was notfar off.

  "Well, p'raps you are. Begin that sentence again. `The S A X,' youmust know what `Sax' is."

  Jasper gazed at the letters. He was not a quick child, though "stupid"was not by any means a true description of him, for where any service toothers, or his power to help them, was in question, his gift of findingit out was almost like a fairy one.

  "But there's more than `S A X'," he objected. "I know what `Saxon' is,"and he pronounced it correctly, "why am I to say only `Sax'?"

  Christabel groaned.

  "Oh, you donkey!" she exclaimed. "I was dividing it into syllables tomake it easier for you, of course. If you knew what the whole word was,why did you sit staring at it as if you didn't?"

  "I only wanted to be quite certin," he said humbly, and then theystarted again, and again came to a standstill, for Christabel'ssharpness seemed to stupefy the little fellow; and when Mrs Fortescue,half-an-hour or so after the lessons had begun, looked in to see howteacher and pupil were getting on, she was disappointed to gather, bythe traces of tears in Jasper's eyes and by Chrissie's flaming cheeks,that things were not going any too smoothly.

  "Oh Mummy, he is _so_ stupid!" exclaimed the little governess. "Oh, Ido hope I shall never have--"

  But a stifled sob from Jasper made his mother interrupt Chrissie's"hopes," the nature of which it was not difficult to guess.

  "Jasper, dear," she said, and there was perhaps a tiny shadow ofreproach in her tone.

  "I _has_ tried, Mumsey, Mumsey, teruly I has," and then his voice broke.

  Mrs Fortescue glanced at Christabel questioningly.

  Chrissie did not like to
see her little brother crying: Jasper so seldomcried.

  "Well, yes," she said, in reply to her mother's unspoken inquiry, "Idon't say he hasn't tried, and I don't say I've been extra patient. ButI never pretend to be very patient or good-tempered. I can't help theway I'm made," and she tossed her head as if this settled the