Jasper Page 3

and Christabel agreed. OnlyJasper murmured half to himself--

  "I don't like nobody to die. He used to pat my head, and he gave mefive shillin's on my birthday"; but to this modest tribute to poor oldUncle Percy's memory there was no response.

  "Oh, I daresay it's all rubbish," said Chrissie, having recourse to oneof her favourite words. "Any way, it's no good bothering beforehand.If there's anything wrong we'll know it soon enough, when Mums comesback on Monday."

  "Monday," repeated Leila in surprise. "Is she coming as soon as that?"

  "She says she has things to see to for Dads here," said Roland, "andhe's got to stay up there for a bit."

  "Oh, that's of course," said Chrissie. "Fareham's all ours now, don'tyou see? Dads will have to give lots of orders and settle everything.I daresay Mummy is bothered about all she'll have to do now, with twobig houses--though I'm sure she needn't mind; it's easy to get plenty ofservants."

  For the first time Nurse here ventured on a remark.

  "Not so easy as you might think, my dear. Large possessions bring theirburdens. Still there are worse troubles than riches, 'specially tothose not used to small means." She sighed, and, in unconscioussympathy, little Jasper murmured again, "Poor Mumsey."

  "You're always so gloomy, Nurse," said Chrissie pertly, and though itwas far from true, Nurse said nothing in her own defence; she onlyglanced across the table, saying gently, "Master Roland, won't you belate?"

  The boy jumped up hastily, exclaiming--

  "Where's my book strap? I'm sure I brought it in here."

  "It's fastened round your books, Roley. I did them," said a smallvoice.

  "Thank you, Japs; you're not half a bad sort," the elder brotherreturned, and Jasper glowed with pleasure.

  CHAPTER TWO.

  "SPOILT."

  Some half-hour or so after Roland had gone, Lewis, the footman, made hisappearance at the nursery door, looking somewhat aggrieved.

  "If you please, Miss Leila," he began; then catching sight of Leilacompletely absorbed in her book and comfortably established by the fire,he hesitated and turned to Chrissie.

  She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by scraps of silk, ribbon,coloured paper, and every article of furniture belonging to thebeautiful large dolls' house standing in a corner of the room.

  "It's Miss Earle, please, Miss Chrissie," he began again. "She's beenhere ever so long, and now she's been ringing and ringing the schoolroombell, till I didn't know what was the matter."

  Chrissie went on calmly with her sortings.

  "Well," she said, "there's nothing the matter. Tell Miss Earle we'llcome directly," and with this piece of information Lewis had to contenthimself.

  Chrissie glanced at Leila. Except for Jasper, quietly marshalling anarmy of tin soldiers at a side-table, the sisters were alone in theroom, as Nurse and Fanny were busy in the little girls' bedroom, thearranging and tidying of which was a much more serious affair than itshould have been, and the door of which was shut.

  "Leila," said Chrissie.

  No answer.

  "_Leila_," more emphatically, "_Leila_!"

  "Well?" and Leila's lovely dreamy dark eyes lifted themselves for amoment.

  "Didn't you hear? You might as well be stone deaf," Chrissie went on,growing angry. "Miss Earle has sent up to say she's been waitinghours."

  "Then she told a great story," replied Leila lazily. "I'll come in amoment, but I must just stop at a good place."

  "And I must match these colours for the new drawing-room furniturecovers," said Chrissie. "I'll never get them so nice again, if Fannymuddles them all up in the scrap drawer."

  Just then her glance fell on Jasper, who had left off playing and wasstanding beside her.

  "I'll 'range them for you, if you like," he was beginning, butChristabel shook her head.

  "You couldn't," she said. "It's something awfully partickler. But I'lltell you what, Japs--you run down to Miss Earle and say you'll have yourreading _first_ this morning. Tell her I'm having a spring cleaning andall sorts of fusses. You can say I didn't know it was so late, andwe'll be down before you've half finished."

  Jasper moved towards the door, but less readily than usual.

  "Hurry up, child, can't you?" exclaimed Chrissie.

  "Mumsey wanted us to be very good," said the little fellow timidly.

  "Well, we're not being naughty. What does it matter to Miss Earle whichlessons come first? She's only a governess, and I am sure Mums pays herwell."

  Her raised tone of voice had caught even Leila's unhearing ears. Sheturned sharply.

  "Chrissie, I'm shocked at you," she said. "That's not like a lady.Suppose we were grown-up and had to be governesses, you wouldn't like tobe spoken to like that."

  "I'm not speaking to her," muttered Chrissie, rather sullenly, thoughshe was already rather ashamed.

  "But Jap might have said it to her," persisted Leila.

  "I wouldn't," exclaimed the child indignantly, "in course I wouldn't."

  "Then go off at once and say what I told you to," said Christabel, andJasper obeyed her.

  Leila, however, for once was roused. Certain words of her mother'sabout remembering that she was the elder and should set a good exampleto heedless Chrissie, returned to her memory. She shut up her book witha sigh, and stooping, began to gather together some of the dolls'belongings. But Chrissie pushed her away.

  "Leave my things alone," she said rudely.

  "They're not specially yours," replied Leila. "The dolls' house belongsto us both."

  "Much you do for it," said Chrissie contemptuously. "It'd be all chokedwith dust like `in a dirty old house lived a dirty old man,' if itdepended on you."

  "It's in a nice mess just now, any way," remarked Leila. "Well, _I'm_going down to the schoolroom. You can do as you please."

  The last words were like a spur to impetuous Christabel.

  "You shan't go off and put all the blame on me to Miss Earle," sheexclaimed, starting up. "I'm coming too. Nurse," she went on, "Nurse,"so loudly, that the bedroom door opened and Nurse and Fanny hurried outin alarm.

  Chrissie looked up coolly. She had an irritating way of getting coolherself as soon as she saw that she had irritated others.

  "You needn't stare so," she said. "It's only about my toys and things.I want them left _exactly_ as they are, till after lesson-time thisafternoon--exactly as they are. Don't you hear what I say, Nurse?"waxing impatient again.

  "It's impossible, Miss Chrissie," replied Nurse. "Master Jasper and Icouldn't get to the table for our dinner; and even if we sat over at theother side, Fanny'd be sure to tread on some of those dainty littlechairs and things and break them."

  Chrissie, as a matter of fact, saw the force of this, but she would notseem to give in, so she contented herself with making a scape-goat ofthe nursery-maid.

  "Fanny is an awkward, clumsy creature, I'll allow," she said, with anair of great magnanimity, "so you _may_ move them, or make her do it.But if she breaks one single thing I'll complain to Mamma; I willindeed," with a very lordly air, as she got up from the floor andprepared to follow Leila downstairs.

  Nurse had the self-control to say nothing till the young lady was out ofhearing, but as she and Fanny began together to clear the confused heapout of danger's way, she could not resist saying to the girl, "To hearthe child speak you'd think she never broke or spoilt a thing in herlife! She's worse than Miss Leila, and she's bad enough, always half ina dream over her books. But Miss Chrissie's worse. The losings andbreakings!"

  "Yes," Fanny agreed, "and the messing with paint and gum and ink. Thosenew blouses. Nurse, are just covered with spots, and between them Idon't think they've a brooch with a pin to it."

  Nurse sighed, and the sigh was not a selfish one.

  Downstairs, in the meantime, Miss Earle had, unwillingly enough, judgedit wisest to make the best of things and to waste no more time, bybeginning Jasper's lessons in accordance with the message fromChristabel, which the little
fellow delivered much more politely than hehad received it.

  But the governess was far from satisfied.

  She was young, excellently qualified for her post, and really interestedin the children, as they were far from wanting in intelligence and loveof knowledge, and now and