by L. T. Meade
CHAPTER II.
THE LITTLE MUMMY'S ARRANGEMENTS.
Those who remember "A Bunch of Cherries" will recall the fact thatFlorence Aylmer left Cherry Court School under a cloud: that KittySharston won the prize offered by Sir John Wallis, and of course stayedon at the school; and that Bertha Keys, finding her game was up and herwickedness discovered, disappeared--it was hoped by the unhappy girlwhom she had injured never to show her face again.
In this old world of ours, however, bad people do not always receivetheir punishment, and it came to pass that Bertha Keys, although she hadfailed in the case of Cherry Court School, did manage to feather hernest and to secure a very comfortable post for herself.
So daring an adventuress was this young woman that she absolutely madeup her mind to lay siege to no less a person than Mrs. Aylmer the great.
It was easy for her to do this. Mrs. Aylmer had not noticed her on thatauspicious occasion when all the girls of the school were collected inSir John Wallis's fine old house. The part that Bertha had played in theaffair, which had lowered her niece in her eyes for ever, was veryslightly impressed on her memory. There was a pupil teacher who had notbehaved right, but what the name of that pupil teacher was had neversunk into the good lady's memory.
She was terribly disappointed about her niece Florence, although shepretended not to care, and a month or two afterwards she advertised in alocal paper for a companion.
The person who answered this advertisement was Bertha Keys. She managedto satisfy the good lady with regard to testimonials, taking care neverto breathe the name of Cherry Court School. She secured the post, andfrom that moment ruled Mrs. Aylmer, although Mrs. Aylmer supposed thatshe ruled her.
Florence found a friend in Sir John Wallis, who put her on thefoundation of an excellent school which he knew of. She was welleducated, and now at the age of twenty was prepared to fight the battleof life.
Florence had received a present of twenty pounds from Sir John Wallis onleaving school, and with this slender provision she meant to fight theworld and find her own niche.
Kitty Sharston had fulfilled all her early promise of beauty and grace.Her father was now returning to England, and she was to go and live withhim.
Mrs. Aylmer the less was just as determined and just as peculiar as inthe days of old. She always spoke out what she thought, and the nextmorning at breakfast, as the two girls with rosy faces and bright eyessat round the very tiny board, she expounded her views.
"Florence," she said, "I am nothing if I am not frank."
"We know that, Mummy," replied her daughter, with a twinkle in herbright dark eyes; "what is up now?"
"Only this: I have been thinking things in the night."
"Oh, do satisfy my curiosity, Mrs. Aylmer," exclaimed Kitty; "where didyou sleep last night? You don't know how uncomfortable Florry and Iwere, fearing we had taken your bed."
"Which you did, my dear. If it was a subject of fear, your fears wererealised," responded the little widow.
"Oh, but this is quite dreadful: ought we to stay on here, Florry, or,at least, ought I to stay on?"
"How much, Florry, are you going to pay me per week?" now exclaimed Mrs.Aylmer. "I wish I could take you, my dear, darling child, for nothing;but the fact is, I cannot, and if I could Sukey would not allow it.Sukey says that a greater stint she will not bear, and twelve pounds tena quarter cannot be made to go farther than we two poor women make itgo, Florence. Do you think you could rise to the sum of fifteenshillings a week if I give you meat every day?"
"Of course, Mummy, of course."
"And I must and will pay a pound a week," said Kitty; "why, it ischeap--so cheap that father will be more than astonished, and the placeis so lovely, and I am enjoying it greatly. Can you put me up and giveme what food I require for a pound a week, Mrs. Aylmer?"
"It will be riches," said Mrs. Aylmer, with tears in her eyes. "The factis, I can feed you both comfortably for ten shillings a piece, and therest will be clear profit: fifteen shillings over for clear profit. Why,I won't know myself. I might be able to buy some new clothes; for Ideclare, my dears, I am shabby, having turned and turned and contrivedand contrived until my clothes are past wearing. Your aunt has not sentme a box of her cast-offs for over a year, and I think it is extremelyunkind of her."
"But you have not told me yet where you slept last night, dear Mrs.Aylmer," said Kitty.
"Well, dear, if you must know, I slept here in this room. I slept on thedining-table. I borrowed some extra pillows from a neighbour, or,rather, Sukey borrowed them for me, for it would never do for my friendsto suppose that I have not got abundance of pillows in my own house. Ihave had quite a luxurious night, my dear girls; so pray don't troubleabout me."
Kitty looked somewhat inclined to cry, but Florence burst out laughing.She jumped up, went to her mother, and put her arms round her neck.
"You dear little Mummy," she said; "you are too comical for anything."
"There is no doubt whatever," replied Mrs. Aylmer, in answer to thiscaress, "that God Almighty makes us each in the most useful shape andform. Now, you are big, Florence, and could never manage on a table, buta little woman like me--why, it comes in most handy. Everything isarranged for the best, and so I always say." Here she glanced around herwith her black eyes full of merriment, and certainly she looked ashappy, notwithstanding her uncomfortable bed, as woman could look.
"I thought of sharing the kitchen with Sukey," she said; "but she won'tstand any disarrangement of her habits, so there was nothing but thetable, and if you think that it isn't worth that small discomfort forthe sake of having you two bright young things about the house, and theneighbours remarking on you and wondering how I am managing, and I withfifteen shillings a week to the good in my pocket, why, you don't knowyour mother, Florence Aylmer."
"Well, Mummy, and what was that thought you said you had in the back ofyour head?" continued Florence.
"Oh, that," said Mrs. Aylmer--here she looked at both girls. "I wonder,Kitty Sharston," she said, "if you can keep a secret?"
"Try me, Mrs. Aylmer," replied Kitty.
"Well, I was thinking things over in the night, and it struck me thatthe very best possible way to punish my sister-in-law, Susan Aylmer, andhave everything that was wrong put right, is for you, Florence, tosecure the young man, Maurice Trevor, as your husband."
"Oh, mother, how can you talk such nonsense?" said Florence. "As if Iwould," she added, jumping to her feet and shaking the crumbs from herdress.
"There," said Mrs. Aylmer, "that's just like you. I have been planningit all. You have but to show the fascinations which all women ought topossess, and you will soon twist him round your little finger."
"I could never, never think of it, mother; and I am distressed that youshould say it, and more particularly before Kitty," was Florence'sanswer.
Mrs. Aylmer laughed.
"Girls always say that," she remarked, "but in the end they yield to theinevitable. It would be a splendid _coup_; it would serve her right.She would be forced to have you living with her after all. I am told shehas made the young man the heir of all she possesses, and--but what isthe matter, my dear?"
"I really won't listen to another word," cried Florence, and she jumpedup and ran out of the room.
Mrs. Aylmer's eyes now filled with tears. She looked full at Kitty.
"I don't know what is the matter with Florence," she said. "I had hopedthat that dreadful thing which happened years ago had subdued her spiritand tamed her a trifle, but she seems just as obdurate as ever. It wassuch a beautiful idea, and it came over me in the night, and I thought Iwould tell Florence at once, and we might put our heads together andcontrive a means by which the young folks could meet; but if she takesit up in that dreadful spirit, what is to be done?"
"But, of course, Mrs. Aylmer, it would never do," said Kitty. "How canyou think of such a thing for a single moment?"
