CHAPTER XIX
The United Guild Festival
MR. GORDON had been most seriously concerned at the news of Gipsy'sunauthorized flight, and considering the part which his daughter Meg hadplayed in helping her to escape, he held himself to be morallyresponsible for the consequences of so foolish a step, and had startedat once for Liverpool in search of the truant. Until very late at nighthe had used all efforts to trace her, but without success; then as soonas possible in the morning, acting on the knowledge of Gipsy's planswhich Meg had supplied, he had telephoned to every steamship company inthe city that ran vessels to South Africa, giving a description of thegirl, and asking, if she called at the office, that she might bedetained until he could arrive and claim her. By a fortunate chance herang up the Tower Line at the very time when Gipsy had presented herselfto enquire for work, so, jumping into a taxicab, he had drivenimmediately from his hotel to their offices.
On the whole, Gipsy was so relieved to see a friend who was prepared totake charge of her that she submitted quite peaceably to be escortedback to Greyfield. The clerk's hilarity at her application for astewardess-ship, and his assurance that such posts were only given tomiddle-aged women, had upset her calculations, and remembering herforlorn condition of the previous night, she was glad not to risk arepetition of such a painful experience. Mr. Gordon had at firstintended to take her home with him to The Gables, but on telephoning tohis wife on his arrival at Greyfield station, he learnt about themissing letter which had been discovered in Daisy Scatcherd's coatpocket, and decided it would be better for her to go straight toBriarcroft.
The prospect of a letter from her father was a magnet more thansufficient to draw Gipsy back to school. All fear of Miss Poppleton'swrath faded away in the excitement of this wonderful news.
"And to think that if I'd gone to South Africa I should have missed it!"she exclaimed.
Miss Poppleton received the prodigal with wonderful graciousness, andMiss Edith wept over her, upbraided her, and kissed her all at once.
"Gipsy, darling! How could you be so naughty? You might have known wewere your best friends. I never slept all night for worrying about you;and I'm sure Miss Poppleton didn't either. To think that you should haverun away from us! And your letter was there all the time, if we'd onlyknown! It's locked up safely in my desk, all ready for you."
"Give it me now, please!" pleaded Gipsy.
Although Gipsy's return to Briarcroft had been a very desirableconclusion to the episode of her running away, there were severalmatters left which remained in a far from satisfactory condition. In thefirst place, though her father's letter had relieved all anxiety abouther school fees and general expenses, and removed her from her formermost unpleasant position, it did not give any clue to his presentwhereabouts. Beyond the brief information that he was going to thesources of a tributary of the Zambesi, she knew nothing. There was noaddress given to which she might write, or any definite date fixed forhis return to civilization. The London bankers, with whom Miss Poppletonat once communicated, had no further knowledge. He seemed to havedisappeared into the unexplored wilds of Central Africa, and to haveleft no trace. In view of the dangers to which a pioneering party, suchas he had joined, would be exposed from wild beasts, hostile natives,lack of food and water, or the hardships of travelling in the interiorof the continent, there was cause for considerable uneasiness on hisbehalf. It seemed high time that some news was received of theexpedition. It was now seven months from the date of Mr. Latimer'sletter, and he had apparently expected to return in three or four.
Poor Gipsy conjured up all kinds of fears for her father's safety. Sheimagined him ill in some inaccessible spot, without medical aid, ortaken prisoner by a native chief, or--more terrible still--that he hadsuccumbed to the dangers and difficulties of the journey. She carriedhis letter about as her greatest treasure, and kissed it a dozen times aday; but she felt that, while appreciating its possession, she found ita very unsatisfactory substitute for the fuller details she coveted ofhis present welfare.
Her second trouble was the fact that she was still supposed to be guiltyof that surreptitious outing in the evening, and to have flatly toldfalsehoods to screen herself. Gipsy had many faults, but she wasstrictly truthful, and this imputation against her honour rankledsorely. Miss Poppleton had not pressed the matter, probably thinking ita secondary consideration to her greater crime of running away. In herrelief at receiving a handsome cheque from Mr. Latimer's bankers, thePrincipal had decided to forgive Gipsy's past indiscretions, and tostart afresh on a different basis. By a little rearrangement she managedto find room for Gipsy again in her old dormitory, and the manifold oddduties which had been assigned to her were entirely removed. Once backin her favourite No. 3, with a new set of summer clothes and an amplesupply of pocket-money, Gipsy felt reinstated in her former position inschool. With the utmost satisfaction she paid up her arrears ofsubscriptions to the Guild, and put straight several other littlematters where she felt she owed a moral if not an actual debt.
"There's only one thing that makes me savage," she declared one eveningto some of her own set who were assembled in the Juniors' room, "andthat is that Poppie still believes I told those awful fibs about notgoing out that wet evening. On my honour I spoke the truth. Somebodyelse must have gone out in my waterproof."
"What does it matter, now it's all over?" asked Leonora. "Poppie'sforgiven you."
"Why, it matters a great deal. I don't want to be forgiven for what I'venever done. And I don't care to possess a reputation for telling fibs.Whoever went out in my cloak ought to own up, and if she doesn't, she'sa mean, detestable, contemptible sneak!"
"Shielding herself at your expense!" added Hetty indignantly.
Leonora turned as crimson as the woolwork she was stitching.
"I never thought of it in that way! It really never struck me!" shegasped. "I'm sure I've no wish to shield myself at anybody's expense.Why, if you want to know, it was I who went out in your waterproof andgaloshes."
Leonora's announcement made the sensation it deserved.
"You! You!" cried the amazed girls.
"But why did you go?"
"How could you do such a thing?"
"Why didn't you tell?"
"I went for a very simple reason," replied Leonora coolly. "You know howfond I am of sweets, and what an abominably mean rule there is hereabout our not buying them. Well, I just couldn't stand doing without mychocolates, so I used to dodge out whenever I dared to that little shopin Mansfield Road, and buy some. On that particular wet evening I was ina fearful hurry to go before I began practising, so I rushed to the hallcupboard and seized on the first waterproof and hat and galoshes thatcame to hand. I didn't know they were Gipsy's."
"And yet you let her bear the blame!" exclaimed Dilys heatedly.
"I thought, as she hadn't really done it, she'd very soon clear herself.She could have 'proved an alibi' directly, if the thing had beenproperly gone into. There were heaps of girls who could have witnessedfor her. Even though she did crawl under the table and go out of theroom, the times didn't fit in, as Poppie would have found directly, ifshe'd troubled to ask."
"That's true. Poppie was utterly prejudiced; she asked a few hastyquestions, never noticed whether the stories agreed, and jumped to aconclusion," said Hetty.
"Then, when Gipsy came back, Poppie dropped the matter entirely,"continued Leonora. "I thought she knew she'd made a mistake. I didn'tsee any use in getting myself into trouble if I could help it, so I heldmy tongue."
"And disgustingly mean of you, too!" exploded Lennie.
"You're the most extraordinary girl, Leonora! I never saw anybody likeyou!" commented Dilys.
"You'll tell Poppie now, won't you?" urged Hetty.
Leonora shrugged her shoulders.
"Of course I shall. She can do what she likes. I don't mind if sheexpels me! I'm sick of Briarcroft and its strict rules. I'd rather tryanother school, where they'd allow one to buy more sweets. I never muchwanted to come h
ere. I think I'll go and explain to Poppie now; she'llbe in the study. If she expels me, I could just go home in time for nextThursday. Mother's giving a big garden party, and having some Russiandancers down from London. They're to give a performance on a platform onthe lawn. I'm simply wild to see them!"
As Leonora walked calmly from the room, the girls broke into a universal"Well!" of astonished comment.
"She didn't even tell you she was sorry, Gipsy!" remarked Lennie.
"Never mind! As long as she sets me right with Poppie I don't care,"returned Gipsy.
"She seems to want to be expelled," said Dilys.
"Poppie's pet won't be expelled, no fear!" laughed Hetty. "Catch Poppieparting with her millionairess! She's much too good an advertisement forthe school."
"I think Poppie'll have somewhat to say on the subject, though!"remarked Dilys.
Both Dilys and Hetty proved right. Leonora was not expelled, but MissPoppleton gave her a severe lecture on the error of her ways, and awarning against any further transgression of Briarcroft rules. Shereturned to the Juniors' room in a very chastened frame of mind.
"Poppie was as hard as nails," she volunteered. "She won't let me gohome on Thursday to the garden party, so I shan't see the Russiandancers. Isn't it a shame?"
"Well, in my opinion it about serves you right, Leonora Parker,"retorted Dilys. "You've looked at the affair all along entirely fromyour own point of view. I don't believe you'd have told now if youhadn't wanted to go home. You've not begged Gipsy's pardon yet."
"Oh, never mind!" said Gipsy magnanimously. "What do I care, now it'sall serene with Poppie? I've proved I don't tell fibs, anyhow. I likepeople to know I'm straight and square and above-board, and sincethat's put right, I vote we drop the subject."
"I shall have the picnic next week, even if I don't see the Russiandancers," murmured Leonora.
The suggestion of a united picnic for the whole of the Lower School,which had been unanimously carried at the Guild meeting, had beenapproved by Miss Poppleton, and the date fixed for a day early in July.As it was the first outing in connection with the United Guild, thegirls were anxious to celebrate the occasion with as much observance aspossible. It had been decided to visit a castle about six miles away,and it was thought that the ruins would provide a picturesque settingfor something in the nature of a grand ceremony.
"Like the Freemasons, you know," said Gipsy, "or any of those old'worshipful companies' that meet and have big dinners and enjoythemselves."
"What do the Freemasons do?" enquired Lennie. "I thought their meetingswere dead secrets."
"So they are; but sometimes they have processions through the streets,and carry banners. We might have a banner, and wear badges."
The idea of a banner appealed to the girls, who set to work with thegreatest enthusiasm to make one. It was designed by Fiona Campbell, andcarried out by a committee of six, chosen for their skill in needlework.It had a cream-coloured ground, on which was a bold pattern, inapplique, of pink briar roses with green leaves, meant as a delicatecompliment to Briarcroft. In the centre, in large green letters, was themotto chosen by the Guild: "United we Stand". It was decided at aspecial meeting that every member must wear a briar rose for a badge,and as real wild roses seemed too perishable to be of much use, an extracommittee undertook to construct a sufficient quantity of artificialones out of crinkled paper. Officers were to wear pale pink sashes, tiedover the right shoulder and under the left arm, and a wreath of pinkroses round their hats. The form of ceremony for the occasion wasentrusted to Gipsy's fertile brain, for nobody else felt equal toinventing it. These preparations naturally absorbed all the energies ofthe Lower School. Many willing hands set to work to make paper flowers,copying a very pretty specimen of a briar rose twisted by the drawingmistress out of pink crinkled paper, with a most natural-looking greenleaf, and secured with fine wire.
Gipsy, who wished the affair to be a great day in the annals of theJuniors, kept adding fresh items to her ceremonial programme till shemade a list that filled her with satisfaction. There was nothing sheloved so dearly as inventing entertainments, and this festival gave herjust the opportunity for which she longed. As organizing secretary shewas allowed full powers of administration, so she picked out herperformers, called rehearsals, and arranged every detail with scrupulouscare and attention.
The school picnic had generally been held on Saturdays, but thinking thecastle would be more free from visitors on a Friday, Miss Poppleton hadgranted a special half-holiday for the purpose. Most fortunately the dayturned out to be fine, and by two o'clock seventy-four excited Juniorswere waiting for the arrival of the wagonettes that were to convey themto the ruins. Each Form was accompanied by its own mistress, and MissPoppleton and Miss Edith completed the party. Every girl wore her briarrose badge, and the officers their sashes and wreaths. The banner wascarried rolled up, but ready to be unfurled when the ceremonies shouldbegin. Riggside Tower, the old ruined keep that was the goal of theirexcursion, had a romantic history of its own, and had been the scene ofmany an exciting struggle in border warfare. The guidebook related thelegends of illustrious prisoners, fierce hand-to-hand combats, doughtychampions, secret passages, underground dungeons, thrilling escapes, andother episodes of the past that added greatly to the attraction of theancient building.
Some of the girls had been there before, but to others it was a freshspot, and all looked with interest as the wagonettes turned a particularcorner of the road where the first glimpse of the castle could be seen.It was a grey, turreted fortress, with half of its west wall battereddown by Cromwell's cannon, and the rest in a crumbling state, chieflyheld together by the great masses of ivy that clung round the wornstones. In former days it must have been grim and bare enough, butkindly Nature had thrown her mantle of greenery around it, and softenedits rugged outlines. Wallflowers and scarlet valerian and the prettytrailing ivy-leaved toadflax were growing in every nook and cranny wherethey could find roothold; a thick grove of trees clothed the base of thesouth front; and the courtyard was a strip of verdant sward thicklycovered with daisies. Gipsy took a survey of the old keep with thegreatest complacency. No place could possibly have provided a betterbackground for the pageant she had arranged. The courtyard made anatural theatre, and the stones lying about would provide seats for theaudience. Happily there were very few visitors that day, so they had thecastle almost to themselves, and could go through their programmewithout interfering with the convenience of other people. It was decidedto begin the ceremonies at once, so that they would be over in good timebefore tea.
The banner, which had been rolled on two school pointers, was unfurledand borne aloft by Lennie Chapman and Meg Gordon, and very fine itlooked with its design of wild roses and its motto in the centre. Themembers of the Guild, walking two and two, fell into line, and, precededby the banner bearers and the chief officers, marched round thecourtyard.
Barbara Kendrick had been constituted crier, and, ringing a smallhandbell, shouted the opening announcement in true mediaeval fashion:
"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! Be it known to one and all that this worshipfulcompanie is the Briarcroft United Juniors' Guild."
As the girls marched they chanted a ditty, the words of which had beencomposed by Gipsy for the event, though the music was out of one of theschool song books:
"We've met to-day to celebrate A very great occasion, We wish to show by this display Our Guild's inauguration.
"For be it known to one and all, This blissful companie Doth now unite all former Guilds, So many as there be.
"Athletics, Music, Drama, Arts, We do include them all In the United Juniors' Guild We form at Briarcroft Hall.
"Each member's pledged to do her best To aid the common weal, And to the tenets of the Guild Aye to be stanch and leal.
"Then wave the banner, flaunt the badge,
And Crier, ring the bell! Good luck to our United Guild! Long may it prosper well!"
Miss Poppleton, Miss Edith, and the mistresses, who composed theaudience, applauded heartily at the end of the marching song.
It had made a good introduction for the Guild, and an opening for theproceedings which were to follow. Gipsy's programme had been drawn upsomewhat on the lines of a May Day masque; she herself called it "TheFestival of the Briar Rose". It consisted of a number of songs anddances, appropriate to the occasion, which she had collected from therepertoire of the Lower School. Each Form took its own turn. The littlegirls of the First performed a charming flower dance, the Second sang amadrigal in praise of summer and the Lower Third a May Day glee, theUpper Third executed a lively Tarantella, the Lower Fourth took SirRoger de Coverley, the Upper Fourth chanted an Elizabethan Ode to theSpring, while at the end the whole Guild joined in a morris dance.
Besides wearing their badges, the girls had brought with them somegarlands and a number of bunches of flowers, to be used in the dances,so that the whole affair, seen against the background of the ancienttower, had a most romantic and picturesque effect. A few parties ofvisitors, who were looking over the castle, stopped to watch theperformance, and appeared greatly to enjoy it. To Miss Poppleton and theteachers the various items were of course well known, as they had beenoften rendered at school; but thus combined, in such suitablesurroundings, they made quite a pretty pageant. Gipsy was in herelement, marshalling, conducting, directing, and acting leader, whileall the time taking her own part in the singing and dancing. As themembers ranged themselves at the end, and wound up the programme with"God Save the King", she felt a thrill of delighted gratification. TheGuild, which had begun under her auspices, and which she had socarefully fostered, seemed a well-established institution of the LowerSchool, likely to continue and flourish among the Juniors for many yearsto come. If she had done nothing else during her three terms atBriarcroft, it was a satisfaction to feel that she had accomplished thismuch. Perhaps some such thought struck her companions.
"Hip, hip, hip, hooray for the Guild!" shouted Hetty Hancock. "And hip,hip, hip, hooray for the Festival! And hip, hip, hip, hooray, girls, forour secretary, Gipsy Latimer! She arranged it all, and she deserves ahearty vote of thanks."
As the vigorous cheers rang out, Gipsy stood with flushed cheeks andshining eyes. It was sweet to have her schoolgirl triumph, and to feelthat her efforts on behalf of her fellow Juniors had met with so muchappreciation.
When the applause died away and the girls broke up, a stranger, who frombehind a portion of the ruins had been an eager witness of theproceedings, stepped up to Miss Poppleton.
"I should like to add my congratulations," he remarked. "Perhaps youdon't remember me? If I may have one word with the little secretary ofyour Guild, she will tell you who I am."
But at that moment Gipsy caught sight of him, and with one wild cry of"Father!" flung herself into his arms.
How Mr. Latimer had arrived upon the scene at such an extremelyopportune moment demands a word of explanation, so we will narrate hisstory as he told it to Gipsy afterwards. In the previous November, afterlanding at Cape Town, he had joined a pioneering expedition, and gonefar into the interior to prospect for minerals. The little party hadexperienced many hardships, perils, and privations, but had been verysuccessful in its discoveries, finding a rich vein of gold that promiseda handsome return when worked. Once back at Cape Town, Mr. Latimer hadtaken the first vessel to England, landing there with the mails. Findingthat he could reach Briarcroft as soon as a letter, he had decided to gostraight there in person, instead of writing to Gipsy to tell her of hiscoming. On his arrival at the school, he had learnt that his daughter,with a number of her companions, had started for a picnic at RiggsideTower; so, keeping the taxicab in which he had driven from Greyfieldstation, he had followed at once to the castle. Finding the Guildcelebrations in progress, he had not interrupted the programme, but,concealing himself in an angle where he could see without being seen, hehad remained an interested spectator of the pageant, waiting till theaffair was over before he made his presence known.
Gipsy's rapture at this reunion was enough to compensate her for all thetrouble she had endured during her father's absence. "You won't go away,Dad, and leave me again?" she pleaded.
"No, sweetheart! Fortunately I have business in connection with thesenewly discovered mines that will keep me in England for a year or two.You can continue at Briarcroft, where by all appearance you seem to bemuch appreciated, and we can spend all your holidays together. No moregadding about the world just at present. Will that suit you, littlewoman?"
"Splendiferously!" answered Gipsy, with a sigh of ecstasy.
* * * * *
There is very little more to be told. For Gipsy the sequel was a time ofintense thankfulness and utter content. Two matters, however, whichdisturbed her, she brought to her father's notice, and he at oncesettled them to their common satisfaction.
He paid a visit to the secondhand shop of Mr. Daniel Lucas in Greyfield,and bought back her watch and chain; and though he was obliged to payfour pounds to regain what she had parted with for ten shillings, hewas glad to get possession on any terms of what was to him a treasure tobe valued for old time's sake. He further hunted out the littleconfectioner at Waterloo who had sheltered his daughter in her hour ofneed, and gave her not only his heartfelt thanks, but a more substantialtoken of his appreciation. Gipsy, you may be sure, lost no time inintroducing him to her friends the Gordons, for whose share in fetchingher back from Liverpool Mr. Latimer considered he owed a debt ofgratitude. It was arranged that the two families should spend a summerholiday together in Switzerland--an event to which Donald, Meg, andGipsy, with their thoughts on the joys of mountaineering, looked forwardwith the keenest anticipation.
"I've only one regret," confessed Gipsy on the breaking-up day. "If I'mmoved up next term into the Fifth, I shan't be Lower School any more,and it will mean goodbye to the United Guild."
But as none of us can remain stationary, and all growings areoutgrowings, I think we may safely predict that Gipsy, who won her wayas leader of the Juniors, will have an equally successful career amongthe Seniors, and that her name will be handed down in the annals ofBriarcroft institutions as that of one who upheld the common weal, andwhose record was an asset to the school.
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PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN _By Blackie & Son, Limited, Glasgow_
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Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 66, "appearance" changed to "appearances" (but for appearances'sake)
Page 116 "sh" changed to "she" (for it if she)
Page 256, "sake's" changed to "time's" (time's sake)
The Leader of the Lower School: A Tale of School Life Page 22
