by L. T. Meade
friends to afternoontea in her little drawing-room. It was the Wednesday half-holiday, andCecil's tea, poured into the tiniest cups and accompanied by thin waferbiscuits, was of the most _recherche_ quality. Cecil had invited HesterThornton, and a tall girl who belonged to the first-class and whose namewas Dora Russell, to partake of this dainty beverage. They were sittinground the tiny tea-table, on little red stools with groups of flowersartistically painted on them, and were all three conducting themselvesin a most ladylike and refined manner, when Annie Forest's curly headand saucy face popped over the inclosure, and her voice said eagerly--
"Oh, may I be permitted to enter the shrine?"
"Certainly, Annie," said Cecil, in her most cordial tones. "I have gotanother cup and saucer, and there is a little tea left in the tea-pot."
Annie came in, and ensconced herself cosily on the floor. It did notmatter in the least to her that Hester Thornton's brow grew dark, andthat Miss Russell suddenly froze into complete indifference to all hersurroundings. Annie was full of a subject which excited her very much;she had suddenly discovered that she wanted to give Mrs Willis apresent, and she wished to know if any of the girls would like to joinher.
"I will give her the present this day week," said excitable Annie. "Ihave quite made up my mind. Will any one join me?"
"But there is nothing special about this day week, Annie," said MissTemple. "It will neither be Mrs Willis's birthday, nor Christmas Day,nor New Year's Day, nor Easter Day. Next Wednesday will be just likeany other Wednesday. Why should we make Mrs Willis a present?"
"Oh, because she looks as if she wanted one, poor dear. I thought shelooked sad this morning; her eyes drooped and her mouth was down at thecorners. I am sure she's wanting something from us all by now, just toshow that we love her, you know."
"Pshaw!" here burst from Hester's lips.
"Why do you say that?" said Annie, turning round with her bright eyesflashing. "You've no right to be so contemptuous when I speak aboutour--our head-mistress. Oh, Cecil," she continued, "do let us give hera little surprise--some spring flowers, or something just to show herthat we love her."
"But _you_ don't love her," said Hester, stoutly.
Here was throwing down the gauntlet with a vengeance! Annie sprang toher feet and confronted Hester with a whole torrent of angry words.Hester firmly maintained her position. She said over and over againthat love proved itself by deeds, not by words; that if Annie learnedher lessons, and obeyed the school rules, she would prove her affectionfor Mrs Willis far more than by empty protestations. Hester's wordswere true, but they were uttered in an unkind spirit, and the veryflavour of truth which they possessed caused them to enter Annie's heartand to wound her deeply. She turned, not red, but very white, and herlarge and lovely eyes grew misty with unshed tears.
"You are cruel," she gasped, rather than spoke, and then she pushedaside the curtains of Cecil's compartment and walked out of theplay-room.
There was a dead silence among the three girls when she left them.Hester's heart was still hot, and she was still inclined to maintain herown position, and to believe she had done right in speaking in so severea tone to Annie. But even she had been made a little uneasy by the lookof deep suffering which had suddenly transformed Annie's charmingchildish face into that of a troubled and pained woman. She sat downmeekly on her little three-legged stool and, taking up her tiny cup andsaucer, sipped some of the cold tea.
Cecil Temple was the first to speak.
"How could you?" she said, in an indignant voice for her. "Annie is notthe girl to be driven, and, in any case, it is not for you to correcther. Oh, Mrs Willis would have been so pained had she heard you--youwere not _kind_, Miss Thornton. There, I don't wish to be rude, but Ifear I must leave you and Miss Russell--I must try and find Annie."
"I'm going back to my own drawing-room," said Miss Russell, rising toher feet. "Perhaps," she added, turning round with a very gracioussmile to Hester, "you will come and see me there, after tea, thisevening."
Miss Russell drew aside the curtains of Cecil Temple's little room, anddisappeared. Hester, with her eyes full of tears, now turned eagerly toCecil.
"Forgive me, Cecil," she exclaimed. "I did not mean to be unkind, butit is really quite ridiculous the way you all spoil that girl--you knowas well as I do that she is a very naughty girl. I suppose it isbecause of her pretty face," continued Hester, "that you are all sounjust, and so blind to her faults."
"You are prejudiced the other way, Hester," said Cecil in a more gentletone. "You have disliked Annie from the first. There, don't keep me--Imust go to her now. There is no knowing what harm your words may havedone. Annie is not like other girls. If you knew her story, you wouldperhaps be kinder to her."
Cecil then ran out of her drawing-room, leaving Hester in solepossession of the little tea-things and the three-legged stools. Shesat and thought for some time; she was a girl with a great deal ofobstinacy in her nature, and she was not disposed to yield her ownpoint, even to Cecil Temple; but Cecil's words had, nevertheless, madesome impression on her.
At tea-time that night, Annie and Cecil entered the room together.Annie's eyes were as bright as stars, and her usually pale cheeks glowedwith a deep colour. She had never looked prettier--she had never lookedso defiant, so mischievous, so utterly reckless. Mdlle. Perier firedindignant French at her across the table. Annie answered respectfully,and became demure in a moment; but even in the short instant in whichthe governess was obliged to lower her eyes to her plate, she had throwna look so irresistibly comic at her companions, that several of them hadtittered aloud. Not once did she glance at Hester although sheoccasionally looked boldly in her direction; but when she did so, herversatile face assumed a blank expression, as if she were seeingnothing. When tea was over, Dora Russell surprised the members of herown class by walking straight up to Hester, putting her hand inside herarm, and leading her off to her own very refined-looking littledrawing-room.
"I want to tell you," she said, when the two girls found themselvesinside the small inclosure, "that I quite agree with you in your opinionof Miss Forest. I think you were very brave to speak to her as you didto-day. As a rule, I never trouble myself with what the little girls inthe third-class do, and of course Annie seldom comes under my notice;but I think she is a decidedly spoiled child, and your rebuff willdoubtless do her a great deal of good."
These words of commendation, coming from tall and dignified MissRussell, completely turned poor Hester's head.
"Oh, I am so glad you think so!" she stammered, colouring high withpleasure. "You see," she added, assuming a little tone of extrarefinement, "at home I always associated with girls who were perfectladies."
"Yes, any one can see that," remarked Miss Russell approvingly.
"And I do think Annie underbred," continued Hester. "I cannotunderstand," she added, "why Miss Temple likes her so much."
"Oh, Cecil is so amiable; she sees good in every one," answered MissRussell. "Annie is evidently not a lady, and I am glad at last to findsome one of the girls who belong to the middle school capable ofdiscerning this fact. Of course, we of the first-class have nothingwhatever to say to Miss Forest, but I really think Mrs Willis is notacting quite fairly by the other girls when she allows a young person ofthat description into the school. I wish to assure you, Miss Thornton,that you have at least my sympathy, and I shall be very pleased to seeyou in my drawing-room now and then."
As these last words were uttered, both girls were conscious of a littlerustling sound not far away. Miss Russell drew back her curtain, andasked very sharply, "Who is there?" but no one replied, nor was thereany one in sight, for the girls who did not possess compartments werecongregated at the other end of the long play-room, listening to storieswhich Emma Marshall, a clever elder girl, was relating for theirbenefit.
Miss Russell talked on indifferent subjects to Hester, and at the end ofthe half-hour the two entered the class-room side by side, Hester'slittle head a good deal
turned by this notice from one of the oldestgirls in the school.
As the two walked together into the school-room, Susan Drummond, who,tall as she was, was only in the fourth class, rushed up to Miss Forest,and whispered something in her ear.
"It is just as I told you," she said, and her sleepy voice was quitewide awake and animated. Annie Forest rewarded her by a playful pinchon her cheek; then she returned to her own class, with a severereprimand from the class teacher, and silence reigned in the long room,as the girls began to prepare their lessons as usual for the next day.
Miss Russell took her place at her desk in her usual dignified
