Dolores made very little answer, finished her apple, and followed to the schoolroom, where an irregular verb, some geography, and some dates awaited her.
Then followed another rush of the populace for the evening meal of the live stock, but in this Dolores was too wary to share. She made her way up to her retreat again, and tried to lose the sense of her trouble and loneliness in a book. Then came the warning bell, and a prodigious scuffling, racing and chasing, accompanied by yells as of terror and roars as of victory, all cut short by the growls of Mrs. Halfpenny. Everything then subsided. The world was dressing; Dolores dressed too, feeling hurt and forlorn at no ones coming to help her, and yet worried when Mysie arrived with orders from Mrs. Halfpenny to come to her to have her sash tied.
I think a servant ought to come to me. Caroline always does, said the only daughter with dignity.
She cant, for she is putting Primrose to bed. Oh, its so delicious to see Prim in her bath, said Mysie, with a little skip. Make haste, or we shall miss her, the darling.
Dolores did not feel pressed to behold the spectacle, and not being in the habit of dressing without assistance, she was tardy, and Mysie fidgeted about and nearly distracted her. Thus, when she reached the nursery, Primrose was already in her little white bed-gown, and was being incited by Valetta to caper about on her cot, like a little acrobat, as her sisters said, while Mrs. Halfpenny declared that they were making the child that rampageous, she should not get her to sleep till midnight.
They would have been turned out much sooner, and Primrose hushed into silence, if nurses soul had not been horrified by the state of Dolores hair and the general set of her garments.
My certie! she exclaimeda dreadful exclamation in the eyes of the family, who knew it implied that in all her experience Mrs. Halfpenny had never known the like! And taking Dolores by the hand, she led the wrathful and indignant girl back into her bedroom, untied and tied, unbuttoned and buttoned, brushed and combed in spite of the second bell ringing, the general scamper, and the sudden apparition of Mysie and Val, whom she bade run away and tell her leddyship that Miss Mohoone should come as soon as she was sorted, but she ought to come up early to have her hair looked to, for twas shame to see how thae fine London servants sorted a motherless bairn.
Dolores felt herself insulted; she turned red all over, with feelings the old Scotchwoman could not understand. She expected to hear the message roared out to the whole assembly round the tea-table, but Mysie had discretion enough to withhold her sister from making it public.
The tea itself, though partaken of by Lady Merrifield, seemed an indignity to the young lady accustomed to late dinners. After it, the whole family played at dumb crambo. Dolores was invited to join, and instructed to do the thing you think it is; but she was entirely unused to social games, and thought it only ridiculous and stupid when the word being a rhyme to ite, Fergus gave rather too real a blow to Wilfred, and Gillian answered, Tis not smite; Wilfred held out a hand, and was told, Tis not right; Val flourished in the air as if holding a string, and was informed that kite was wrong; when Hal ran away as if pursued by Fergus by way of flight; and Mysie performed antics which she was finally obliged to explain were those of a sprite. Dolores could not recollect anything, and only felt annoyed at being made to feel stupid by such nonsense, when Mysie tried to make her a present of a suggestion by pointing to the back of a letter. Neither write nor white would come into her head, though little Fergus signalized himself, just before he was swept off to bed, by seizing a pen and making strokes!
After his departure, Lady Merrifield read aloud The Old oak Staircase, which had been kept to begin when Dolores came, Hal taking the book in turn with his mother. And so ended Dolores first day of banishment.
CHAPTER V. THE FIRST WALK
What a lot of letters for you, mamma! cried Mysie.
Papa! exclaimed Fergus and Primrose.
No, it is not the right day, my dears. But here is a letter from Aunt Ada.
Oh! in a different tone.
She writes for Aunt Jane. They will come down here next Monday because Aunt Jane is wanted to address the girls at the G.F.S. festival on Tuesday.
Aunt Jane seems to have taken to public speaking, said Harry. It would be rather a lark to hear her.
You may have a chance, said Lady Merrifield, for here is a note from Mrs. Blackburn to ask if I will be so very kind as to let them have the festival here. They had reckoned upon Tillington Park, where they have always had it before, but they hear that all the little Tillingtons have the measles, and they dont think it safe to venture there.
It will be great fun! said Gillian. We will have all sorts of games, only Im afraid they will be much stupider than the Irish girls.
And ever so much stupider than the dear 111th children, sighed Mysie.
Arent they all great big girls? asked Valetta, disconsolately.
I believe twelve years old is the limit, said her mother. Twelve-year-old girls have plenty of play in them, Vals, havent they, Mysie? Let me seetwo hundred and thirty of them.
For you to feast? asked Harry.
Oh, nothat cost comes out of their own funds, Mrs. Blackburn takes care to tell me, and Miss Hacket will find some one in Siverfold who will provide tables and forms and crockery. I must go down and talk to Miss Hacket as soon as lessons are over. Or perhaps it would save time and trouble if I wrote and asked her to come up to luncheon and see the capabilities of the place. Why, whats the matter? pausing at the blank looks.
The jam, mammathe blackberry jam! cried Valetta.
Well?
We cant do it without Gill, and she will have to be after that Miss Constance, explained Val.
Oh! never mind. She wont stay all the afternoon, said Gillian, cheerfully. Luncheon people dont.
Yes, but then there will be lessons to be learnt.
Look here, Val, said Gillian, if you and Mysie will learn your lessons for tomorrow while Im bound to Miss Con., Ill do mine some time in the evening, and be free for the jam when she is gone.
The dear delicious jam! cried Val, springing about upon her chair; and Lady Merrifield further said
I wonder whether Mysie and Dolores would like to take the note down. They could bring back a message by word of mouth.
Oh, thank you, mamma! cried Mysie.
Then I will write the note as soon as we have done breakfast. Dont dawdle, Fergus boy.
Maynt I go? demanded Wilfred.
No, my dear. It is your morning with Mr. Poulter. And you must take care not to come back later than eleven, Mysie dear; I cannot have him kept waiting. Dolores, do you like to go?
Yes, please, said Dolores, partly because it was at any rate gain to escape from that charity-school lesson in the morning, and partly because Valetta was looking at her in the ardent hope that she would refuse the privilege of the walk, and it therefore became valuable; but there was so little alacrity in her voice that her aunt asked her whether she were quite rested and really liked the walk, which would be only half a mile to the outskirts of the town.
Dolores hated personal inquiries beyond everything, and replied that she was quite well, and didnt mind.
So soon as she and Mysie had finished, they were sent off to get ready, while Aunt Lilias wrote her note in pencil at the corner of the table, which she never left, while Fergus and Primrose were finishing their meal; but she had to silence a storm at the didnt mindGillian even venturing to ask how she could send one to whom it was evidently no pleasure to go. I think she likes it more than she shows, said the mother, and she wants air, and will settle to her lessons the better for it. Whats that, Val?
Yes, please, said Dolores, partly because it was at any rate gain to escape from that charity-school lesson in the morning, and partly because Valetta was looking at her in the ardent hope that she would refuse the privilege of the walk, and it therefore became valuable; but there was so little alacrity in her voice that her aunt asked her whether she were quite rested and really liked the walk, which would be only half a mile to the outskirts of the town.
Dolores hated personal inquiries beyond everything, and replied that she was quite well, and didnt mind.
So soon as she and Mysie had finished, they were sent off to get ready, while Aunt Lilias wrote her note in pencil at the corner of the table, which she never left, while Fergus and Primrose were finishing their meal; but she had to silence a storm at the didnt mindGillian even venturing to ask how she could send one to whom it was evidently no pleasure to go. I think she likes it more than she shows, said the mother, and she wants air, and will settle to her lessons the better for it. Whats that, Val?
It was my turn, mamma, said Valetta, in an injured voice.
It will be your turn next, Val, said her mother, cheerfully. Dolores comes between you and Mysie, so she must take her place accordingly. And today we grant her the privilege of the new-comer.
Dolores would have esteemed the privilege more, if, while she was going upstairs to put on her hat, the recollection had not occurred to her of one of the victims of an aunts cruelty who was always made to run on errands while her favoured cousins were at their studies. Was this the beginning? Somehow, though her better sense knew this was a foolish fancy, she had a secret pleasure in pitying herself, and posing to herself as a persecuted heroine. And then she was greatly fretted to find the housemaid in her room, looking as if no one else had any business there. What was worse, she could not find her jacket. She pulled out all her drawers with fierce, noisy jerks, and then turned round on the maid, sharply demanding
Who has taken my jacket?
Im sure I dont know, Miss Dollars. Youd best ask Mrs. Halfpenny.
If but at that moment Mysie ran in, holding the jacket in her hand. I saw it in the nursery, she said, triumphantly. Nurse had taken it to mend! Come along. Wheres your hat?
But there was pursuit; Mrs. Halfpenny was at the door. Young ladies, you are not going out of the policy in that fashion.
Mamma sent us. Mamma wants us to take a note in a hurry. Only to Miss Hacket, pleaded Mysie, as Mrs. Halfpenny laid violent hands on her brown Holland jacket, observing
My leddy never bade ye run off mair like a wild worricow than a general officers daughter, Miss Mysie. Whats that? Only Miss Hacket, do you say? You should respect yourself and them you come of mair than to show yourself to a blind beetle in an unbecoming way. Tis well that theres one in the house that knows what is befitting. Miss Dollars, you stand still; I must sort your necktie before you go. Tis all of a wisp. Miss Mysie, you tell your mamma that I should be fain to know her pleasure about Miss Dollars frocks. Sheve scarce got onecoloured or mourningthat dont want altering.
Mrs. Halfpenny always caused Dolores such extreme astonishment and awe that she obeyed her instantly, but to be turned about and tidied by an authoritative hand was extremely disagreeable to the independent young lady. Caroline had never treated her thus, being more willing to permit untidiness than to endure her temper. She only durst, after the pair were released, remonstrate with Mysie on being termed Miss Dollars.
They cant make out your name, said Mysie. I tried to teach Lois, but nurse said she had no notion of new-fangled nonsense names.
Im sure Valetta and Primrose are worse.
Ah! but Val was born at Malta, and mamma had always loved the Grand Master La Valetta so much, and had written verses about him when she was only sixteen. And Primrose was named after the first primrose mamma had seen for twelve yearsthe first one Val and I had ever seen.
They called me Miss Mohun at home.
Yes, but we cant here, because of Aunt Jane.
All this was chattered forth on the stairs before the two girls reached the dining-room, where Mysie committed the feeding of her pets to Val, and received the note, with fresh injunctions to come home by eleven, and bring word whether Miss Hacket and Miss Constance would both come to luncheon.
Oh dear! sighed Gillian, and there was a general groan round the table.
It cant be helped, my dear.
Oh no, I know it cant, said Gillian, resignedly.
You see, said Mysie. Yes, come along, Basto dear. You see Gill has to bedown, Basto, I say!a young lady when.... Never mind him, Dolores, he wont hurt. When Miss Constance Hacket andleave her alone, Basto, I say!and she is such a goose. Not you, Dolores, but Miss Constance.
Oh that dog! I wish you would not take him.
Not take dear old Basto! Why tis such a treat for him to get a walk in the morningthe delight of his jolly old black heart. Isnt he a dear old fellow? and he never hurt anybody in his life! Its only setting off! He will quiet down in a minute; but I couldnt disappoint him. Could I, my old man?
Never having lived with animals nor entered into their feelings, Dolores could not understand how a dogs pleasure could be preferred to her comfort, and felt a good deal hurt, though Bastos antics subsided as soon as they were past the inner gate shutting in the garden from the paddock, which was let out to a farmer. Mysie, however, ran on as usual with her stream of information
The Miss Hacket were sister or daughters or something to some old man who used to be clergyman here, and they are all married up but these two, and theyve got the dearest little house you ever saw. They had a nephew in the 111th, and so they came and called on us at once. Miss Hacket is a regular old dear, but we none of us can bear Miss Constance, except that mamma says we ought to be sorry for her because she leads such a confined life. Miss Hacket and Aunt Jane always do go on so about the G.F.S. They both are branch secretaries, you know.
I know! Aunt Jane did bother Mrs. Sefton so that she says she will never have another of those G.F.S. girls. She says it is a society for interference.
Mamma likes it, said Mysie.
Oh! but she is only just come.
Yes; but she always looked after the school children at Beechcroft before she married, and she and Alethea and Phyllis had the soldiers children up on Sunday. Alethea taught the little drummer boys, and they were so funny. I wonder who teaches them now! Gill always goes down to help Miss Hacket with her G.F.S. classes. She has one on Sunday afternoon, and one on Tuesday for sewing, and she is the only young lady in the place who can do plain needlework properly.
Sewing-machines can work. What the use of fussing about it!
They cant mend, said Mysie. Besides, do you know, in the American war, all the sewing-machines in the Southern States got out of order, and as all the machinery people were in the north, the poor ladies didnt know what to do, and couldnt work without them.
Sewing-machines are a recent invention, said Dolores.
Oh! you didnt think I meant the great old War of Independence. No, I meant the war about the slavessecession they called it.
That is not in the history of England, said Dolores, as if Mysie had no business to look beyond.