Jasper

by Mrs. Molesworth

of water."

  Harriet hesitated.

  "Couldn't you wait, Miss, just till I've brushed and swept up and donethe fire? I've to get the room right quickly, you see, to be ready forthe old lady."

  "`Wait'!" repeated Christabel, "of course I can't. And you're veryrude, Harriet, to speak of the `old lady' like that. Can't you say`Miss Fortescue'?"

  "I'm sure I beg pardon," Harriet replied, and feeling rather ashamed ofher unintended disrespect, she dared not object further, and hurried offas Chrissie had ordered.

  But with the young lady spreading out flowers and glasses and water-cansall over the floor, it was clearly impossible to go on sweeping.Furthermore, Chrissie made her shut the window, so all the poor girlcould attend to, and that not without difficulty, was the fireplace.

  Little cared Chrissie. She went on sorting and selecting, cleverlyenough, it must be owned, and some of the glasses were looking prettyand graceful, when a sound made her glance at the door. There stoodJasper, Harriet by this time having fled in despair.

  "What do you want?" said Chrissie sharply. She was already getting alittle tired of her task, for she had been at it for three-quarters ofan hour.

  "Oh Chrissie, Lelly is _so_ cross," he said. "She heard me goin' downand she called me. She's nearly dressed and she's comin' immediately.And I'm afraid she's very vexed. And the room is in such a mess," and,child though he was, he gazed round in consternation.

  It was quite true--the mess was appalling. For it was not in Chrissie'snature to do anything with method, and Leila's greater neatness wouldhave been a help in the morning's work. But even worse was to follow;for almost before Chrissie had taken in what Jasper was saying, Leila,for once, in her indignation, as hasty as her sister, dashed into theroom, upsetting as she did so, one of the big cans of water brought byHarriet, and, sadder still, one of the already arranged vases, breakingit into pieces--the water streaming out to mingle with the pool alreadyforming, the poor flowers pitched about in all directions.

  Christabel flew at her, trying to push her out of the room.

  "You horrid girl," she said, "you clumsy creature."

  "It's you that's horrid," returned Leila. "Worse than horrid. Howcould you be so mean and sneaky? Why didn't you wake me? Mother meantus to do them together. It's all your fault. I shall tell Mother--itisn't mine a bit. Let go of me," but Chrissie only pushed her the morefiercely.

  And this was the sight, these were the sounds, that met poor MrsFortescue as, unheard by the furious children, she stood in thedoorway,--room in chaos, the pretty carpet, chosen newly on purpose tobrighten the look of things, soaking--dark with water--the bits of glassand poor flowers all strewed about, and, worst of all, two little girls,crimson with anger, struggling together and hurling out ugly words ofreproach and rage.

  They started however--Chrissie releasing Leila, who stood silent andmotionless--when they heard their mother's voice.

  "Aunt Margaret's first morning. And I trusted you both to help me," shesaid, as she turned away.

  She was so bitterly disappointed that I really think there were tears inher eyes as she hurried down the passage in search of Harriet and clothsto wipe up the pools and streams of water. But before she got to thetop of the staircase leading down to the basement, she almost ran acrossa small figure, whose face was hardly to be seen amid the pile of thingshe was carrying.

  "I've been to get cloths and sponges to dry it all up, Mummy," he saidbreathlessly, "and a pail to squeeze it into, and Harriet's comin'," andsure enough the housemaid's head just then emerged at the top of thekitchen staircase.

  "Master Jasper, Master Jasper," she gasped, "you can't carry all that;"and certainly he did look very comical, with his intensely grave facepeeping out above his load.

  "My poor Brownie," said his mother, "_my_ good fairy--what would I dowithout you?" and somehow she could not help a little laugh.

  Jasper gazed at her in surprise, but then feeling that he was the masterof the situation, he hurried off again. "Come quick, Mumsey," he said,"p'raps we can stop any more of the carpet getting wet, if we're quick,"and, followed by Harriet, they hurried into the drawing-room.

  Leila and Christabel, by this time sobered and ashamed, though feeling,I fear, very far from friendly to each other, were on their knees indifferent parts of the floor--Leila picking up the fragments of brokenglass; Chrissie rescuing the poor scattered flowers. Neither spoke, andtheir mother said coldly--

  "Go upstairs. You are only in the way here. Come down at once when youhear the breakfast gong."

  Then Chrissie burst out--

  "It's not fair. It was all Leila. She knocked over the things, and I'dgot up early on purpose."

  "Chrissie," said her mother, and the one word silenced her again--"Icannot trust you together, I see," Mrs Fortescue went on. "Go up toyour room, Leila, and you, Chrissie, stay in the dining-room."

  Then with Harriet's help--Jasper carefully collecting the flowers--somesort of order was by degrees brought about; the dangerous pieces ofglass swept up, and the carpet dried as far as was possible. But it wasnecessary to leave the window open, and it was plain that some hoursmust pass before the room could be occupied.

  "Make as large a fire as you can, to help to dry the floor, Harriet,"said Mrs Fortescue, and then she took Jasper's hand and left the room."Oh dear, oh dear!" she could not help murmuring, "it does seem toobad--Aunt Margaret's first morning," and a little squeeze of her fingerstold her of Jasper's sympathy.

  "I'm sure Lelly and Chrissie is really _werry_ sorry," he said, "andAuntie is _so_ kind, Mumsey."

  Kind indeed she was. For a few minutes later, when she came downstairsand it had to be explained to her that a woeful catastrophe hadoccurred, she declared that it would be a very good thing for her not tobe tempted to loiter in the drawing-room that morning, "for I reallymust unpack and arrange my things upstairs. I suppose lessons have notbegun regularly yet," she went on, "so may Leila and Chrissie help me alittle?" and she glanced at them as she spoke. Leila looked down,Chrissie grew scarlet.

  "Ah," thought Aunt Margaret, "I fear what has happened was not all anaccident. Poor children--it would have been kinder to them in the endif they had been less indulged. We have all been to blame in thematter. Still, it is never too late to mend, and I must do my part."

  But from now, her eyes, loving though they were, watched things moreclosely and anxiously.

  Neither of the little girls ventured to reply, but Mrs Fortescue,glancing at them, could not keep back a start.

  "Chrissie," she said, "have you looked at yourself this morning? Do youknow that your face is simply--well, to speak plainly, _dirty_, and yourhair `Like a crow's nest,' as my old nurse used to say? I hope Daddywon't notice it."

  For their aunt's sake, Mrs Fortescue tried to speak lightly, though shewas really feeling sadly discouraged. Chrissie tried to toss her headin the way she usually did when found fault with, but I scarcely thinkthe effort was a success, and she was very glad that as her father waslate that morning, having had letters to write in his study, she hadfinished her breakfast before he came in.

  "Yes," said her mother, in answer to her unspoken question, "yes, youcan go upstairs at once and make yourself fit to be seen."

  "Leila," said Mrs Fortescue in a moment or two, "I do think you mighttake a little charge of Chrissie. After all she is younger and morethoughtless by nature than you are. Did you not see how untidy shewas?"

  "How could I?" said Leila gloomily. "She had left the room before Iawoke."

  Just then Mr Fortescue's step was heard in the passage, and as Leila'sblack looks were almost as much to be dreaded as Chrissie's dirty face,their mother added quickly, "Well, at any rate, you can help her now.So run after her;" and Leila, though with evident unwillingness, did asshe was told.

  "I am so sorry, so terribly sorry," Mrs Fortescue had time to say toher aunt in a low voice, "that you should have such an uncomfortablefirst morning with us;" but Aunt Margaret only smiled qu
ietly.

  "My dear," she said, "I am here, I hope, to be of some little help toyou, not only to be comfortable, though really there is nothing thatmatters as far as I am concerned. And don't lose heart. The littlegirls will profit by all this in the end."

  An hour or so later, when Aunt Margaret, up in her own room, was stillbusy unpacking, there came a tap at the door, and in answer to her "comein," a small voice replied--

  "It's me, Auntie. Mumsey said