by L. T. Meade
manner.She was a clever girl, and was going to leave school at the end of nextterm. Hers was a particularly fastidious, but by no means greatnature--she was the child of wealthy parents, she was also well-born,and because of her money, and a certain dignity and style which had cometo her as nature's gifts, she held an influence, though by no means alarge one, in the school. No one particularly disliked her, but no one,again, ardently loved her. The girls in her own class thought it wellto be friendly with Dora Russell, and Dora accepted their homage withmore or less indifference. She did not greatly care for either theirpraise or blame. Dora possessed in a strong degree that banefulquality, which more than anything else precludes the love of others--shewas essentially selfish.
She sat now before her desk, little guessing how she had caused Hester'ssmall heart to beat by her patronage, and little suspecting the mischiefshe had done to the girl by her injudicious words. Had she known, it isto be doubted whether she would have greatly cared. She looked throughthe books which contained her tasks for the next day's work, and,finding they did not require a great deal of preparation, put themaside, and amused herself during the rest of preparation time with astory-book, which she artfully concealed behind the leaves of someexercises. She knew she was breaking the rules, but this fact did nottrouble her, for her moral nature was, after all, no better than poorAnnie's, and she had not a tenth of her lovable qualities.
Dora Russell was the soul of neatness and order. To look inside herschool-desk was a positive pleasure; to glance at her own neat and trimfigure was more or less of a delight. Hers were the whitest hands inthe school, and hers the most perfectly kept and glossy hair. As thepreparation hour drew to a close, she replaced her exercises and booksin exquisite order in her school-desk and shut down the lid.
Hester's eyes followed her as she walked out of the school-room, for thehead class never had supper with the younger girls. Hester wondered ifshe would glance in her direction; but Miss Russell had gratified a verypassing whim when she condescended to notice and praise Hester, and shehad already almost forgotten her existence.
At bed-time that night Susan Drummond's behaviour was at the leastextraordinary. In the first place, instead of being almostoverpoweringly friendly with Hester, she scarcely noticed her; in thenext place, she made some very peculiar preparations.
"What _are_ you doing on the floor, Susan?" inquired Hetty in aninnocent tone.
"That's nothing to you," replied Miss Drummond, turning a dusky red, andlooking annoyed at being discovered. "I do wish," she added, "that youwould go round to your side of the room and leave me alone; I sha'n'thave done what I want to do before Danesbury comes in to put out thecandle."
Hester was not going to put herself out with any of Susan Drummond'svagaries; she looked upon sleepy Susan as a girl quite beneath hernotice, but even she could not help observing her, when she saw her situp in bed a quarter of an hour after the candles had been put out, andin the flickering firelight which shone conveniently bright for herpurpose, fasten a piece of string first round one of her toes, and thento the end of the bed-post.
"What _are_ you doing?" said Hester again, half laughing.
"Oh, what a spy you are!" said Susan. "I want to wake, that's all; andwhenever I turn in bed that string will tug at my toe, and, of course,I'll rouse up. If you were more good-natured, I'd give the other end ofthe string to you; but, of course, that plan would never answer."
"No, indeed," replied Hester; "I am not going to trouble myself to wakeyou. You must trust to your sponge of cold water in the morning, unlessyour own admirable device succeeds."
"I'm going to sleep now, at any rate," answered Susan; "I'm on my back,and I'm beginning to snore; good-night."
Once or twice during the night Hester heard groans from theself-sacrificing Susan, who, doubtless, found the string attached to herfoot very inconvenient.
Hester, however, slept on when it might have been better for the peaceof many in the school that she should have awakened. She heard no soundwhen, long before day, sleepy Susan stepped softly out of bed, andwrapping a thick shawl about her, glided out of the room. She was awayfor over half an hour, but she returned to her chamber and got into bedwithout in the least disturbing Hester. In the morning she was found sosoundly asleep that even the sponge of cold water could not arouse her.
"Pull the string at the foot of the bed, Alice," said Hester: "shefastened a string to her toe, and twisted the other end round thebed-post, last night--pull it, Alice, it may effect its purpose."
But there was no string now round Susan Drummond's foot, nor was itfound hanging to the bed-post.
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
WHAT WAS FOUND IN THE SCHOOL-DESK.
The next morning, when the whole school were assembled, and all theclasses were getting ready for the real work of the day, Miss Good, theEnglish teacher, stepped to the head of the room, and, holding a neatlybound volume of "Jane Eyre" in her hand, begged to know to whom itbelonged. There was a hush of astonishment when she held up the littlebook, for all the girls knew well that this special volume was notallowed for school literature.
"The house maid who dusts the school-room found this book on the floor,"continued the teacher. "It lay beside a desk near the top of the room.I see the name has been torn out, so I cannot tell who is the owner. Imust request her, however, to step forward and take possession of herproperty. If there is the slightest attempt at concealment, the wholematter will be laid before Mrs Willis at noon to-day."
When Miss Good had finished her little speech, she held up the book inits green binding and looked down the room.
Hester did not know why her heart beat--no one glanced at her, no oneregarded her; all eyes were fixed on Miss Good, who stood with a severe,unsmiling, but expectant face.
"Come, young ladies," she said, "the owner has surely no difficulty inrecognising her own property. I give you exactly thirty seconds more;then, if no one claims the book, I place the affair in Mrs Willis'shands."
Just then there was a stir among the girls in the head class. A tallgirl in dove-coloured cashmere, with a smooth head of golden hair, and afair face which was a good deal flushed at this moment, stepped to thefront, and said in a clear and perfectly modulated voice--
"I had no idea of concealing the fact that `Jane Eyre' belongs to me. Iwas only puzzled for a moment to know how it got on the floor. I placedit carefully in my desk last night. I think this circumstance ought tobe inquired into."
"Oh! oh!" came from several suppressed voices here and there through theroom; "whoever would have supposed that Dora Russell would be obliged tohumble herself in this way?"
"Attention, young ladies!" said Miss Good; "no talking, if you please.Do I understand, Miss Russell, that `Jane Eyre' is yours?"
"Yes, Miss Good."
"Why did you keep it in your desk--were you reading it duringpreparation?"
"On, yes, certainly."
"You are, of course, aware that you were breaking two very stringentrules of the school. In the first place, no story-books are allowed tobe concealed in a school-desk, or to be read during preparation. In thesecond place, this special book is not allowed to be read at any time inLavender House. You know these rules, Miss Russell?"
"Yes, Miss Good."
"I must retain the book--you can return now to your place in class."
Miss Russell bowed sedately, and with an apparently unmoved face, exceptfor the slightly deepened glow on her smooth cheek, resumed herinterrupted work.
Lessons went off as usual, but during recreation the mystery of thediscovered book was largely discussed by the girls. As is the custom ofschool-girls, they took violent sides in the matter--some rejoicing inDora's downfall, some pitying her intensely. Hester was, of course, oneof Miss Russell's champions, and she looked at her with tender sympathywhen she came with her haughty and graceful manner into the school-room,and her little heart beat with a vague hope that Dora might turn to herfor sympathy.
Dora, however,
did nothing of the kind. She refused to discuss theaffair with her companions, and none of them quite knew what Mrs Willissaid to her, or what special punishment was inflicted on the proud girl.Several of her school-fellows expected that Dora's drawing-room wouldbe taken away from her, but she still retained it; and after a few daysthe affair of the book was almost forgotten.
There was, however, an uncomfortable and an uneasy spirit abroad in theschool. Susan Drummond, who was certainly one of the most uninterestinggirls in Lavender House, was often seen walking with and talking to MissForest. Sometimes Annie shook her pretty head over Susan's remarks;sometimes she listened to her; sometimes she laughed and spoke eagerlyfor a moment or two, and appeared to acquiesce in
