by L. T. Meade
sleepily; "don't bother me,Hannah--I--I've determined not to ride this morning; go away--" thenmore sleepily, and in a lower key, "Tell Percy he can't bring the dogsin here."
"I ain't neither your Hannah, nor your Percy, nor one of the dogs,"replied the rather irate Alice--"There, get up, miss, do. I never seesuch a young lady for sleeping, never."
"I won't be bothered," said the occupant of the bed, and now she turneddeliberately on her side and snored more loudly than ever.
"There's no help for it," said Alice: "I have to do it nearly everymorning, so don't you be startled, miss. Poor thing, she would neverhave a good conduct mark but for me. Now then, here goes. You needn'tbe frightened, miss--she don't mind it the least bit in the world."
Here Alice seized a rough Turkish towel, placed it under the sleepy headwith its shock of red hair, and, dipping a sponge in a basin of icy coldwater, dashed it on the white face.
This remedy proved effectual; two large pale blue eyes opened wide, avoice said in a tranquil and unmoved tone--
"Oh, thank you, Alice. So I'm back at this horrid, detestable schoolagain?"
"Get your feet well on the carpet, Miss Drummond, before you falls offagain," said the servant. "Now then, you'd better get dressed as fastas possible, miss--you have lost five minutes already."
Hester, who had laughed immoderately during this little scene, wasalready up and going through the processes of her toilet. MissDrummond, seated on the edge of her bed, regarded her with sleepy eyes.
"So you are my new room-mate?" she said--"What's your name?"
"Hester Thornton," replied Hetty with dignity.
"Oh--I'm Susy Drummond--you may call me Susy if you like."
Hester made no response to this gracious invitation.
Miss Drummond sat motionless, gazing down at her toes.
"Had not you better get dressed?" said Hester after a long pause, forshe really feared the young lady would fall asleep where she wassitting.
Miss Drummond started.
"Dressed! So I will, dear creature. Have the sweet goodness to hand memy clothes."
"Where are they?" asked Hester rather crossly, for she did not care toact as lady's-maid.
"They are over there, on a chair, in that lovely heap with a shawl flungover them. There, toss them this way--I'll get into them somehow."
Miss Drummond did manage to get into her garments; but her wholeappearance was so heavy and untidy when she was dressed, that Hester bythe very force of contrast felt obliged to take extra pains with her owntoilet.
"Now, that's a comfort," said Susan, "I'm in my clothes. How bitter itis! There's one comfort, the chapel will be warm. I often catch fortywinks in chapel--that is, if I'm lucky enough to get behind one of thetall girls, where Mrs Willis won't see me. It does seem to me,"continued Susan in a meditative tone, "the strangest thing why girls arenot allowed sleep enough."
Hester was pinning a clean collar round her neck when Miss Drummond cameup close, leaned over the dressing-table, and regarded her with languidcuriosity.
"A penny for your thoughts. Miss Prunes and Prism."
"Why do you call me that?" said Hester angrily.
"Because you look like it, sweet. Now, don't be cross, little pet--noone ever yet was cross with sleepy Susy Drummond. Now, tell me, love,what had you for breakfast yesterday?"
"I'm sure I forget," said Hester.
"You _forget_?--how extraordinary! You're sure that it was not butteredscones? We have them sometimes, and I tell you they are enough even tokeep a girl awake. Well, at least you can let me know if the eggs werevery stale, and the coffee very weak, and whether the butter wassecond-rate Dorset, or good and fresh. Come now--my breakfast is ofimmense importance to me, I assure you."
"I dare say," answered Hester. "You can see for yourself this morningwhat is on the table--I can only inform you that it was good enough forme, and that I don't remember what it was."
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Susan Drummond, "I'm afraid she has a littletemper of her own--poor little room-mate. I wonder if chocolate-creamswould sweeten that little temper?"
"Please don't talk--I'm going to say my prayers," said Hester.
She did kneel down, and made a slight effort to ask God to help herthrough the day's work and the day's play. In consequence, she rosefrom her knees with a feeling of strength and sweetness which even thefeeblest prayer when uttered in earnest can always give.
The prayer-gong now sounded, and all the girls assembled in the chapel.Miss Drummond was greeted by many appreciative nods, and more than onepair of longing eyes gazed in the direction of her pockets, which stuckout in the most ungainly fashion.
Hester was relieved to find that her room-mate did not share her classin school, nor sit anywhere near her at table.
When the half-hour's recreation after breakfast arrived, Hester,determined to be beholden to none of her school-mates for companionship,seated herself comfortably in an easy chair, with a new book. Presentlyshe was startled by a little stream of lollipops falling in a showerover her head, down her neck, and into her lap. She started up with anexpression of disgust. Instantly Miss Drummond sank into the vacatedchair.
"Thank you, love," she said, in a cosy, purring voice. "Eat yourlollipops, and look at me; I'm going to sleep. Please pull my toe whenDanesbury comes in. Oh, fie! Prunes and Prisms--not so cross--eat yourlollipops; they will sweeten the expression of that--little--face."
The last words came out drowsily. As she said "face," Miss Drummond'slanguid eyes were closed--she was fast asleep.
CHAPTER NINE.
WORK AND PLAY.
In a few days Hester was accustomed to her new life. She fell into itsroutine, and in a certain measure won the respect of her fellow-pupils.She worked hard, and kept her place in class, and her French became alittle more like the French tongue and a little less like the English.She showed marked ability in many of her other studies, and themistresses and masters spoke well of her. After a fortnight spent atLavender House, Hester had to acknowledge that the little Misses Brucewere right, and that school might be a really enjoyable place for somegirls. She would not yet admit that it could be enjoyable for her.Hester was too shy, too proud, too exacting to be popular with herschool-fellows. She knew nothing of school-girl life--she had neverlearned the great secret of success in all life's perplexities, thepower to give and take. It never occurred to Hester to look over ahasty word, to take no notice of an envious or insolent look. As far asher lessons were concerned she was doing well; but the hardest lesson ofall, the training of mind and character, which the daily companionshipof her school-fellows alone could give her, in this lesson she wasmaking no way. Each day she was shutting herself up more and more fromall kindly advances, and the only one in the school whom she sincerelyand cordially liked was gentle Cecil Temple.
Mrs Willis had some ideas with regard to the training of her youngpeople which were peculiarly her own. She had found them successful,and, during her thirty years' experience, had never seen reason to alterthem. She was determined to give her girls a great deal more libertythan was accorded in most of the boarding-schools of her day. She nevermade what she called impossible rules; she allowed the girls fullliberty to chatter in their bedrooms; she did not watch them duringplay-hours; she never read the letters they received, and onlysuperintended the specimen home letter which each girl was required towrite once a month. Other head-mistresses wondered at the latitude sheallowed her girls, but she invariably replied--
"I always find it works best to trust them. If a girl is found to beutterly untrustworthy. I don't expel her, but I request her parents toremove her to a more strict school."
Mrs Willis also believed much in that quiet half-hour each evening,when the girls who cared to come could talk to her alone. On theseoccasions she always dropped the school-mistress and adopted the _role_of the mother. With a very refractory pupil she spoke in the tenderesttones of remonstrance and affection at these times. If her wordsfail
ed--if the discipline of the day and the gentle sympathy of thesemoments at night did not effect their purpose, she had yet anotherexpedient--the vicar was asked to see the girl who would not yield tothis motherly influence.
Mr Everard had very seldom taken Mrs Willis's place. As he said toher, "Your influence must be the mainspring. At supreme moments I willhelp you with personal influence, but otherwise, except for my nightlyprayers with your girls, and my weekly class, and the teachings whichthey with others hear from my lips Sunday after Sunday, they had betterlook to you."
The girls knew this rule well, and the one or two rare instances in theschool history where
