Jasper Page 9

Fortescue was pleased withthem all, Roland, of course, in particular, for the boy showed greatgood feeling and consideration for his parents.

  "And Leila and Chrissie, too," said their father, when speaking aboutthem to their mother, "they seem rather subdued, naturally enough, butthey will be plucky and sensible and do all they can to help us, Ihope."

  "Yes, I hope so," she agreed, and Mr Fortescue was too busy about otherthings to notice the want of confidence and cheerfulness in her tone.

  Then followed a week or two of extreme "busyness" for the children'sparents. Strange men were constantly coming to the house, withnote-books, in which they made long lists of the furniture, andpictures, and ornaments--what were to be sold and what to be kept.House agents, too, and several times, parties of ladies and gentlemen tobe shown over all the rooms--some of whom were already friends oracquaintances of the Fortescues, some complete strangers.

  It was all very queer, but there was a certain kind of excitement aboutit, though once or twice Chrissie grew red and angry at hearing somemurmured expressions of pity, such as--"Poor people, _isn't_ it sad forthem?" or, "I do feel so for them all."

  "Impertinent things," muttered the child, though fortunately in awhisper.

  Then at last came the day on which their mother with a little touch ofrelief in her voice, told them that the new house was chosen and decidedupon.

  "We shall move into it in about a fortnight," she said, "and it will notbe so very difficult to manage. A great deal of the furniture has beenbought by the people who have taken this house, and as they are notcoming in here for a month or more, we can send off all that we shallrequire at Spenser Terrace next week, and have it fairly in order beforewe go ourselves."

  "Spenser Terrace," repeated Leila, "I never heard of it. Where is it,Mummy?"

  "Some way out, of course," was the reply. "Still, not in the suburbs,which I am glad of. It will be easier in many ways, especially forDaddy and Roland coming and going. Daddy has got a post, my dears--nothing very much, but we are very thankful. We shall _just_ be able toget on with great care, for Aunt Margaret insists on joining the littleincome left to her, to ours. And I hope and think we can manage Roley'sschool," she added as she hurried off.

  "Of course," said Christabel, when she and Leila were alone, "of courseRoland is the one they care about. You and I are to be educated anyhowor nohow, I suppose, so long as he goes to Winton. Why, we shan't evenbe able to be governesses!"

  "What's the good of your saying those horrid things to me," repliedLeila, almost in tears. "You'd better say them to Dads."

  To this there was no response. Even Chrissie's audacity would havefailed her at such an idea.

  Notwithstanding their mother's continued cheerfulness, and Nurse'sassurances that they were not going to live in so poor a place asJasper's "quite nice and clean" row of houses, the imaginations of bothlittle girls had been running riot, almost without their knowing it, onthe subject of their new home, and on the whole they were ratherpleasantly surprised when the day came for the move to it.

  It was, of course, at a considerable distance from the first-rate partof the West End where they had hitherto lived, and as the rumblingfour-wheeler made its slow way along, it seemed to Chrissie, with theboxes outside and packages inside, as if all that had happened in thelast few weeks must be a dream, and that they were on their way toKing's Cross Station, to travel down for one of their happy visits toFareham!

  "Doesn't it seem just like that?" she said to the others. "You knowwe've often gone with Nurse and Jap in a four-wheeler, when Daddy andMummy were in the carriage."

  Leila gave a little shiver.

  "_Don't_, Chrissie," she exclaimed. "It only makes things worsethinking of it all like that."

  Jasper slipped his hand into hers.

  "Pr'aps we'll be very happy in the new house," he said. "_I'd_ not mindif only Nursie was going to stay."

  For, alas! Nurse was only to be a few days longer with them--"just tosee you a little bit settled," she had pleaded with Mrs Fortescue. Herremaining permanently would have been impossible in the changedcircumstances of the family, and as she was looking forward to beingmarried in two or three years, it was of importance for her to save whatshe could of her wages. But she had done all in her power to help; itwas a cousin of hers who was one of the two servants which were all MrsFortescue could afford to have, and she had privately begged this girlto be very patient with the young ladies if they were sometimestroublesome and thoughtless.

  "It will all be such a change for them, you see," she explained, andHarriet, who was good-natured and willing, delighted to come to London,and not troubled with nerves, promised to do her very best.

  Hers was the face which met them as the cab at last drew up at one of arow of houses in a quiet, rather dull, but by no means "slummy"side-street.

  "It isn't so very bad," said Chrissie, "and that new servant looksrather nice. I suppose she'll be instead of Fanny."

  "Of course not," said Leila, "there'll be no Fanny and no Nurse and noanybody except a cook and housemaid. You certainly will have to put onyour own shoes and stockings _now_!"

  And Chrissie's face, which had brightened a little, clouded over again.But it was not in human nature, above all not in child, evenspoilt-child nature, not to try to smile and look pleased, when at theopen door of the little drawing-room the sisters caught sight of theirmother, and heard Jasper's joyful cry, "Oh Mumsey, what a sweet littleroom."

  "Come in, darlings. I've been longing so for you," she exclaimed, "andtea is all ready in the dining-room. Nurse, you must have it with us.Daddy, darlings, won't be back till seven, but Roley is here." It _was_a pretty little room. Mrs Fortescue had wisely kept only suchfurniture as was really suitable, especially as to size, so there was nolook of crowding or "not-at-home-ness" about it. And as the whole househad been freshly painted and papered, there was nothing dark or dingy.

  "If I could fancy it was a little house we had got for a few weeks atthe seaside somewhere, I'd think it was quite nice," thought Christabel."I wonder how many rooms there are. We really need one each if we'renot to be always knocking against each other!"

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  A STORMY MORNING.

  Small as the dining-room was in comparison with the spacious one "athome," as, more than once, the children caught themselves saying, still,they all settled round the table quite comfortably, and on the wholethey were a more cheerful party than might have been expected.Chrissie, even, was graciously pleased to express her approval of thehot buttered scones which their kind mother had specially ordered forthe occasion.

  "They are quite as good as Mrs Williams's," she said when she hadeaten, I am afraid to say how many of them. "May we have them often,Mummy? The new cook will have lots of time, as there'll never bedinner-parties, or luncheon-parties, or--or anything like that, ofcourse," and she gave a deep sigh.

  "The new cook, as you call her," said Mrs Fortescue, "is no other thanMrs Williams' niece, Susan, who till now has been the kitchen-maid. Soit is not surprising that her scones are good. But as for having lotsof time, you must remember that, now we have only two servants, she willhave to do many things besides cooking. We mustn't expect scones exceptas a treat."

  "Oh, of course," murmured Chrissie, "we mustn't expect anything nice. Isee how it's going to be." But either she spoke too low for her wordsto be heard, or her mother thought it wiser to take no notice of them,and she went on talking about other things.

  "Yes," she said, in reply to a question of little Jasper's, "there is atiny garden behind, as you see, and, besides the back-door, there is anentrance to it out of Daddy's study, through a French window. I daresayyou will be able to grow some pretty hardy things in it."

  Jasper's face flushed with pleasure.

  "Oh, I do hope Aunt Margaret will remember to bring my new garden-toolswhat are at Fareham," he exclaimed.

  "I will ask her about them when I write to-morrow," said his mother.

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sp; "Daddy's study," repeated Leila, "then there is a third sitting-room. Iwas just wondering what we'd do for a schoolroom."

  "You will have to use this room a good deal," said Mrs Fortescue, "butin warmer weather, when you don't need fires, you can prepare yourlessons in your own room upstairs, as you will see. Now, if we've allfinished, I am anxious to take you over the house, Roley has seen itall," with a glance at him.

  "Yes," Roland answered, "and I think