The Children of the Castle Read online

you?"

  "No," said Mavis, "not at all."

  "Bertha would never get all the work done unless she took her own way,"Miss Hortensia went on. "But I'll tell you what I'll do, Ruby. I willhave the fire lighted in my own little room. I don't need to troubleBertha about that, thanks to your kind father's thoughtfulness. Mylittle wood-cupboard is always kept filled by Tim. And when you come infrom your walk we will have tea there instead of here, and spend a cosyevening."

  Ruby darted at Miss Hortensia and kissed her.

  "That will be lovely," she said. "And as it's to be a sort of a treatevening, do tell us a story after tea, dear cousin."

  "If you're not tired," put in Mavis. "Cousin Hortensia had a headachethis morning," she said to Ruby, turning to her.

  "Rubbish!" cried Ruby, but she checked herself quickly. "I don't meanthat," she went on, "but Mavis is such a kill-joy. You won't be tiredwill you, dear cousin? Mavis doesn't care for stories as much as I do.I've read nearly all the books in the library, and she never reads ifshe can help it."

  "I've enough to do with my lesson-books," said Mavis with a sigh. "AndI can scarcely ever find stories to read that I understand. But I like_hearing_ stories, for then I can ask what it means if there comes apuzzling part."

  "Poor Mavis!" said Ruby contemptuously, "she's always getting puzzled."

  "We must try to make your wits work a little quicker, my dear," saidMiss Hortensia. "You will get to like reading when you are older, Idaresay. I must look out for some easier story-books for you."

  "But I love _hearing_ stories, cousin," said Mavis. "Please don't thinkthat I don't like your stories. I do so like that one about when youcame to the castle once when you were a little girl and about the dreamyou had."

  "I don't care for stories about dreams," said Ruby. "I like to hearabout when cousin Hortensia was a young lady and went to balls at thecourt. I would love to have beautiful dresses and go to the court. Doyou think father will take me when I'm grown up, cousin Hortensia?"

  "I daresay he will. You will both go, probably," Miss Hortensiareplied. "But you must not think too much of it or you may bedisappointed. Your mother was very beautiful and everybody admired herwhen she went out in the world, but she always loved best to be here atthe castle."

  Ruby made a face.

  "Then I don't think I'm like her," she said. "I'm very tired of thisstupid old place already. And if you tell your dream-story to Mavis,you must tell me the one about how mother looked when she went to herfirst ball. She was dressed all in white, wasn't she?"

  "No," Mavis answered. "In blue--wavy, changing blue, like the colourthe sea is sometimes."

  "_Blue_," Ruby repeated, "what nonsense! Isn't it nonsense, cousinHortensia? Didn't our mother wear all white at her first ball--everybody does."

  Miss Hortensia looked up in surprise.

  "Yes, of course," she said. "Who ever told you she wore blue, Mavis?"

  Mavis grew very red.

  "I wasn't speaking of our mother," she said. "It was the lady you sawin your dream I meant, cousin Hortensia."

  "You silly girl!" said Ruby. "Isn't she stupid?" Mavis looked ready tocry.

  "You must get out of that habit of not listening to what people say, mydear," said Miss Hortensia. "Now you had better both go out--wrap upwarmly, and don't stay very long, and when you come in you will find mein my own room."

  "And you'll tell us stories, won't you, dear good cousin?" said Rubycoaxingly, as she put up her pretty face for a kiss. "If you'll tell me_my_ story, you may tell Mavis hers afterwards."

  "Well, well, we'll see," said Miss Hortensia, smiling.

  "I do so like the story of the blue lady," said Mavis, very softly, asthey left the room.

  Five minutes later the twins were standing under the great archway whichled to the principal entrance to the castle. At one end this archwayopened on to a winding road cut in the rock, at the foot of which was alittle sandy cove--a sort of refuge among the cliffs. On each side ofit the waves broke noisily, but they never entirely covered the cove,even at very high tides, and except in exceedingly rough and stormyweather the water rippled in gently, as if almost asking pardon forintruding at all. When the sea was out there was a scrambling pathamong the rocks to the left, by which one could make one's way to alittle fishing-hamlet about a quarter of a mile off on the west. For,as I should have explained before, the castle stood almost at a corner,the coast-line turning sharply southwards, after running for many milesalmost due east and west.

  The proper way to this hamlet was by the same inland road which led tothe castle, and which, so the legend ran, was much more modern than thebuilding itself, much more modern at least than the north side of it.That grim fortress-like front was very ancient. It had been builtdoubtless for a safe retreat, and originally had only been accessiblefrom the sea, being in those days girt round on the land side byenormous walls, in which was no entrance of any kind. A part of thesewalls, ivy-clad and crumbling, still remained, but sufficient had beenpulled down to give space for the pleasant sunny rooms and the shelteredgarden with its terraces.

  Ruby shivered as she and Mavis stood a moment hesitating in the archway.

  "It is cold here," she said; "the wind seems to come from everywhere atonce. Which way shall we go, Mavis?"

  "It would be a little warmer at the back, perhaps," said Mavis. "But Idon't care much for the gardens on a dull day like this."

  "Nor do I," said Ruby, "there's nothing to see. Now at the front it'salmost nicer on a dull day than when it's sunny--except of course forthe cold. Let's go down to the cove, Mavis, and see how it feelsthere." It was curious that they always spoke of the fortress side asthe front, even though the southern part of the building was what wouldhave naturally seemed so.

  "I'd like to stay out till sunset and see the colours up in the turretwindows," said Mavis, as they clambered down the rocky path. "I wish Iknew which of these rooms is the one where the blue fairy lady used tocome. I do think cousin Hortensia might have found out."

  "Rubbish!" said Ruby. It was rather a favourite expression of hers, Iam afraid. "I don't believe cousin Hortensia ever saw her. It was alla fancy because she had heard about it. If ever she did come, it wasages and ages ago, and I don't believe she did even then. I don'tbelieve one bit about spirits and fairies and dreams and things likethat." Mavis said nothing, but a puzzled, disappointed look crept intoher eyes.

  "Perhaps it's because I'm stupid," she said, "but I shouldn't like tothink like you, Ruby. And you know the story wouldn't have come all ofitself, and cousin Hortensia, though she calls it a dream, can't reallyexplain it that way."

  "If you know so much about it, why do you keep teasing to have it toldagain?" said Ruby impatiently. "Well, here we are at the cove; what arewe to do now?"

  Mavis looked about her. It was chilly, and the sky was grey, but overtowards the west there was a lightening. The wind came in little puffsdown here, now and again only, for they were well under the shelter ofthe cliffs. And up above, the old castle frowning down upon them--hisown children, whose ancestors he had housed and sheltered and protectedfor years that counted by centuries--suddenly seemed to give a halfunwilling smile. It was a ray of thin afternoon sunshine strikingacross the turret windows.

  "See, see," said Mavis. "The sun's coming out. I'm sure the sky mustbe pretty and bright round where the cottages are. The sea's quite farenough back, and it's going out. Do let us go and ask how the baby--Joan's baby, I mean--is to-day."

  "Very well," said Ruby. "Not that I care much how the baby is, butthere's rather a nice scrambly way home up behind Joan's house. I foundit one day when you had a cold and weren't with me. It brings you outdown by the stile into the little fir-wood--just where you'd neverexpect to find yourself. And oh, Mavis, there's such a queer littlecottage farther along the shore, at least just above the shore that way.I saw it from the back, along the scrambly path."

  "I wonder whose it is," said Mavis.
"I don't remember any cottage thatway. Oh yes, I think I remember passing it one day long ago when Joanwas our nurse, and she made me run on quick, but she didn't say why."

  "Perhaps it's haunted, or some nonsense like that," said Ruby with hercontemptuous air. "I'll ask Joan to-day. And if we