by L. T. Meade
moment the door had closed behind the rector. "That letter--we want to know all about it."
"Yes, of course we do," said Josephine.
"Out with the news!" exclaimed Fanchon.
"There isn't a great deal of news to relate," replied Brenda. "I aminvited to spend the eighth of July with my dear sister at thatcelebrated school, Hazlitt Chase. She has simply written me anitinerary of trains. I fear I shall have to leave here very early inthe morning, and you--my dear _petites_--will be deprived of yourgoverness for the entire day, for I shall not be home until midnight."
"Oh dear!" cried Nina. "We thought you were going to spend the nightaway!"
She looked slightly disappointed and glanced at her sisters.
"Any little fun on?" asked Brenda, interpreting the glances between thethree according to her own sweet will.
"No, no--nothing in particular--nothing at all in particular; only wethought you would have so much to tell us when you came back again."
"I shall have a good deal to tell you. Do you know; that my wonderfulyoung sister is to be Helen of Troy?"
"Whoever is she?" yawned Fanchon.
"Never heard of her, and never want to," cried Nina.
"Is she one of the dead-and-gones?" exclaimed Josephine. "I hate alldead-and-gones, don't you, girls?"
"Yes--loathe them!" exclaimed the other sisters.
Brenda laughed.
"Look here," she said. "I must have a special dress, and a very, verypretty one to go to Hazlitt Chase. I was thinking of getting a paleblue silk--"
"Blue--silk!" exclaimed all three.
"Silk, Brenda? But surely your money--I mean your salary, poor darling,doesn't run to that!" cried Nina, who had a more caressing way than hersisters.
"Whether my salary runs to it or not, I mean to get it," said Brenda--"avery pale shade and plenty of white lace with it, and a white lacescarf, such as is worn so much now, on my shoulders. Ah, your governesswill look one of the prettiest girls at the fete, and won't you bepleased, _mes enfants_?"
Brenda scarcely knew a word of French, but was fond of interlarding herconversation with a few simple sentences. These had an excellent effectas far as the Reverend Josiah was concerned, but the girls had norespect for them, being well aware of the shallowness of their darlingBrenda's pretensions with regard to the French tongue.
"Well," said Nina--"and how are you going to get the dress?"
"I am going now--in a few minutes--to see your father, and will ask himto let us have the pony and trap. Then we can all drive to Rocheford,where there is a very good draper's shop. There I will buy a silk andget Madame Declasse, in the High Street, to make it for me in time."
"But father won't know you in blue silk."
"I don't want him to. Do you suppose, for a minute, you little geese,that I am going to tell him it is on my account I want the pony andtrap? Is it likely he would accede to the wishes of a poor littlegoverness? Not I, _mes enfants_--not I. You three dear things are tobe the innocent cause of our drive to Rocheford. Don't you suppose thatyou want any cotton frocks for the seaside?"
"Oh, yes--yes!" said Nina, "we want frocks, but not cotton ones."
"Muslins are quite as cheap," said Brenda. "I shall call them cotton toyour father, and will buy muslin dresses for you--a pale pink muslineach--how will they look, _cheries_?"
"Sweet, sweet!" said Josephine.
"Entrancing!" exclaimed Nina; while Fanchon smacked her lips inanticipation of her own appearance in pink muslin.
Now Brenda knew quite well that these sandy-haired young people withfreckled faces and flat features would by no means look their best inpink, be it muslin or cotton, but as she meant them to be foils toherself, she decided to leave them in crass ignorance on this point.The very name, pink muslin, had a delicious sound, and, as there waslittle time to waste, she told the girls that she would excuse lessonsthat morning and go upstairs to the school-room to make some mentalcalculations. Then, having estimated the exact amount of money whichthe different dresses would cost, she would invade the Reverend Josiahat the hour named.
That good man was busy preparing his sermon when Brenda's gentle butdistinct knock was heard at the door.
"I am so sorry to disturb you, sir," she said on entering, and shedropped the prettiest imaginable little curtsey. It was quiteold-fashioned, and delighted the rector.
"Please don't apologise, Miss Carlton," he said. "You want to speak tome, and I am prepared to listen. What is it all about? I hope my deargirl is not dissatisfied in any way. I know your life here must be alittle--a little--dull; but I trust that you are not thinking of leavingus."
"Leaving you--my dear kind sir?" replied Brenda. "Far indeed are suchideas from my thoughts. I am nothing but a dependent, and lonely atthat. Dear Mr Amberley, have I not heard you talk of your sweetchildren as orphans? Well, am I not an orphan, too?"
"Alas--that it should be the case!" said Mr Amberley.
"It is the case. My darling sister and I were left without parents whenshe was a very little child and I was a young girl. She has beenfortunate enough to be admitted into one of the best schools anywhere inthis part of England, or indeed, I may say in England at all. I alludeto Hazlitt Chase. You must have heard of the name, sir."
"Hazlitt Chase?" said Mr Amberley. "Of course I know the name. LadySophia L'Estrange has two daughters there--Mary and Juliet. Sweet younggirls. Lady Sophia lives about four miles from here. I had not theslightest idea that you had a sister at such a distinguished school,Miss Carlton."
"I have that privilege," said Brenda, dropping her eyelids so that herlong, curly, black eyelashes could rest in the most becoming manneragainst her peach-bloomy cheeks.
The rector looked at her with admiration.
"She certainly is a very sweet creature," he thought.
"What is the name of your sister?" he asked, after a moment's pause.
"She is called Penelope."
"How quaint and old-fashioned!"
"She is about to take a somewhat old-fashioned part," continued Brenda."I don't pretend to know the old stories as I ought to; you, sir, whoare such a good Greek scholar, must have heard of the character of Helenof Troy."
"Beautiful Helen!" whispered Mr Amberley, under his breath.
"My sister is to take part in some tableaux which Mrs Hazlitt ispresenting of Tennyson's `Dream of Fair Women.' She wants me to see it,and I am anxious to go. I think that if I leave here by an early train,I can spend the greater part of the day at Hazlitt Chase and return heresoon after midnight."
"That will be a late hour to ask the servants to sit up."
"But if you will entrust me with a latch-key--"
"No, no, my dear girl: I will sit up for you myself with pleasure. Ofcourse you shall go."
"Thank you," said Brenda: "you are more than kind." She fidgeted alittle, then continued: "It will be a very gay party, and people frommany parts of England will assemble there to witness the differentevents of the day. Tennyson's `Dream of Fair Women' is, I believe, totake the most distinguished place in the day's proceedings and, inshort, sir--I want to be suitably dressed."
"Of course--of course," said Mr Amberley, looking a little confused, ashe always was when the subject of money was even approached. "Eh--aneat cotton, eh?"
"Well, sir--it must be something rather better on this occasion; but ifI might ask for my quarter's salary, I have no doubt I can manage."
"My poor, dear girl! have I forgotten it? How long is it due?"
"It won't be due for a fortnight, sir; but I thought, under thecircumstances, that you might--I mean that you would be so kind--"
"You shall have a cheque immediately. Let me see--your salary is thirtypounds a year, that means seven pounds ten a quarter. I will write youa cheque for the amount; you can cash it at the bank. Get a prettycool-looking cotton, my dear Miss Carlton--something with rosebuds onit: you are--so like a rosebud yourself."
"One minute please, sir. I canno
t get the sort of dress I want atHarroway. I must go to Rocheford to make my purchase and I think itwould be a good opportunity to get the girls' dresses for the seaside atthe same time."
"Oh dear, dear, dear!" said Mr Amberley. "Haven't they got enoughdresses from last year?"
"Oh, no!" said Brenda, shaking her head. "They are growing so quickly;you quite forget that."
"I only know that my funds are very low and that there are a great manysick people in the parish," said the
