Jasper Read online

only of ability, but great steadiness and perseverance.

  "It's--it's very good of you and Dads," he murmured.

  Mrs Fortescue's spirits seemed to be recovering themselves a little.She was still quite a young woman and naturally of a gentle, ratherchildlike character, easily depressed and easily cheered. And Roland'sway of receiving the bad news seemed to strengthen her.

  "There are some things I am thankful for," she went on. "We can at onceface it all and arrange to live in the new way, without any waiting orsuspense or any trying to keep up appearances. It is the sort oftremendous blow that can't be kept secret. As soon as possible Daddyand I will look out for a small house. I feel as if every day here waswasting money."

  Leila and Chrissie had been silent for a minute or two; Leila in a mixedstate of feeling, uncertain whether to think of herself as a heroine, ora martyr. Christabel, on her side, was far from pleased at the "fuss"as she called it to herself, that her mother was making about Roland.

  "It isn't fair," she thought, "it's much worse for _us_. Boys and mencan work; being poor doesn't matter for them. Besides, Roland's goingto get all he wants, and we're evidently to be sacrificed for him," andthe expression on her face was not a pleasant one.

  "And what's to become of its?" she inquired. "Lell and me? We'll haveto be governesses, or dressmakers, I suppose."

  Mrs Fortescue could not help smiling, though she felt disappointed atthe child's tone.

  "_You_ certainly have plenty of time to think about anything of thatkind," she said. "I cannot fix as yet what we must do, but in themeantime I hope you will learn as much and as well as you can with MissEarle. She is such a first-rate teacher. I shall be terribly sorry topart with her," and she sighed.

  "_I_ shan't," said Chrissie, "she does nothing but scold."

  "No doubt you deserve it then," said Roland gruffly. He was terriblysorry for his mother, and his sisters' want of sympathy made himindignant.

  "I don't think either of them cares, as long as things don't touchthemselves," he said to Mrs Fortescue when Leila and Chrissie had leftthe room.

  "Things _will_ touch themselves, and very sharply," his mother repliedwith a sigh. "They don't realise it at all, Roland; we must rememberthat they are very young."

  "They are just very spoilt and selfish," the boy muttered. "Just lookat Jap, Mums--what a difference! And he's only seven, and quite readyto be a shoe-black if it would be any help to you. I tell you what,mother, it will be a capital thing for those girls to have to rough it abit."

  "I hope so. I suppose there is good hidden in every trouble, though itis sometimes difficult to see it," Mrs Fortescue answered. "But,darling, don't be too down on your sisters. If they are spoilt, and Ifear they are, it is _my_ fault more than theirs." Roland put his armsround his mother and kissed her. "Nothing's your fault, except thatyou've been far too kind to us all," he said, "and--about my still goingto school--to Winton, I mean. I don't half like it. Why should I bethe only one to--well, why should things be made smoother for me thanfor the others? The girls will be thinking it's not fair."

  His mother smiled.

  "It's not likely that they will be jealous of your going to school," shesaid. "I'm quite sure they don't want to be sent to school themselves."

  "Oh, but it's quite different for girls," said Roland.

  "Yes," his mother agreed. "But now, dear, I must send a word to yourfather--just to tell him I got home safely, and--and that, in one sense,the worst is over."

  "You mean the telling us? Oh, Mums, it's all _much_, worse for you thanfor us," said Roland, and somehow the words comforted her a little.

  Upstairs in the nursery, it certainly did not seem as if the strange andstartling news had had any very depressing effect on Leila andChristabel. The former was already established in her usual cosycorner, buried in her newest story-book; the latter was only very cross.She had discovered that Nurse had been crying, and turned upon hersharply, though the poor thing was only anxious to be all that was kindand sympathising.

  "What in the world have _you_ to cry about, Nurse?" she demanded. "Itisn't your father and mother that have lost all their money."

  "I have no father, as you know, Miss Chrissie," she said quietly, "andmy brothers take good care of mother. But _your_ father and mother havebeen kind true friends to me, and you surely can understand that I canfeel sadly grieved for their troubles, and indeed for all of you, mypoor dears," and her voice broke.

  Chrissie felt a little ashamed. She turned away so as not to seeNurse's tears.

  "It's no use crying about it, all the same," she said more gently."What can't be cured, must be endured."

  "That's true," Nurse agreed, "and I'm glad to see you so brave;" but toherself she wondered if the thoughtless child realised in the very leastall the changes that this unexpected loss of fortune could not but bringabout in the, till now, indulged and luxurious life of the Fortescuechildren.

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  THE NEW HOME.

  Some days passed. Mr Fortescue was detained in the country longer thanhe had expected, and us it was impossible for their mother to decidethings very definitely without him, especially as regarded the futurehome of the family, the children's daily lives went on much as usual.

  "You could almost fancy it was all a dream," said Leila to her sister.

  "_You_ could, I daresay," Christabel replied, "for you're never doinganything but dreaming; but _I_ don't feel like that at all. It's enoughto see Nurse's red eyes, and the servants stepping about as if there wasstraw all over the place, like when people are very ill, and MissEarle's never been so kind before. It really almost makes me try toplease her."

  "I think it's rather nice of them all," Leila remarked. The "romantic"side of the position quite took her fancy, and she felt as if she reallywas some thing of a heroine. "I shan't mind being poor, if people areso sorry for us--so-so respectful, you know, Chrissie."

  But Chrissie was made of different stuff.

  "I don't agree with you at all," she said, tossing her proud littlehead, so that her thick reddish-brown hair fell over her face like ashaggy mane. "Sorry for us! No indeed, I don't want people to be sorryfor us. Almost the worst part of it is everybody having to know. Ican't understand Mummy thinking that a good thing. I don't mind MissEarle," she went on, softening a little, "she's different somehow. ButI'm not going to pretend, any way not to you, Lell, you sleepy, dreamingthing, I'm not going to pretend that I don't think it's all _perfectly_horrid, for I do."

  "If we could go to live in the country," said Leila; "a pretty quaintcottage, thatched perhaps, any way covered with roses--"

  "Yes, especially in winter," interrupted Chrissie. "What a donkey youare, Lell! Better say thistles."

  "We could have roses a good part of the year, and I know there are somecreepers that are evergreens. Ivy, for instance. No, a cottagewouldn't be so bad, however tiny it was," Leila maintained.

  "You'd have to be cook, then, and I'd have to be housemaid, for wherewould you put servants in your tiny cottage I'd like to know? It wouldbe freezing in winter--no bathroom or hot water--and in summer allinsecty. Horrible! However, we needn't fight about it. We're going tostay in London. Mums says we _must_, if Dads is ever to get any work todo--or in the suburbs close to. I think that would be almost worse.The sort of place with rows and rows of little houses all exactly likeeach other, you know, with horrid scraps of garden in front."

  "No," said Leila, "I think any sort, of a garden would make it better.We could grow things."

  "I'd like to see you gardening," said Chrissie. "I know what it wouldbe. If there was any sort of a summer-house, or even a bench, you'd besettled there with a book, calling out, `Chrissie, Chrissie, do _come_and rake that border for me. I'm so tired.'"

  "I might call," retorted Leila coolly, "but most certainly the borderwouldn't get raked if I had no one to call to but you."

  "_I'd_ rake it, Lelly," said Jasper. They had not noticed that he
wasin the room, for he was busied in a corner, as quiet as a mouse, as wasoften the case.

  "I believe you would," said Leila. "We're not a very good-naturedfamily, but I think you're about the best, poor old Jap."

  "Nonsense," said Christabel. "He's just a baby. Shall