"You know we are to open the proceedings by dancing the old-fashioned minuet," continued Mary Bateman; "on the lawn, of course, with the colored lamps lighting us up. I believe I can do fairly well if I have you for my partner, for although you are awkward enough you dance beautifully."
"I"ll be your partner if you like," said Kitty, with a sigh, "but look here, Mary, when is Mademoiselle Le Brun going into Hilchester?"
"I did not know she was going at all," replied Mary; "do you want her to buy you anything"?"
"I am not quite sure, but I"d like to see her before she goes."
"Well, there she is, and there"s the pony cart coming round. I expect she has to buy a lot of things for Mrs. Clavering. Run up to her if you want to give her a message, Kitty. Hullo, mademoiselle, will you wait a minute for Kitty Sharston--she wants to say something to you?"
But Kitty stood still. There was a battle going on in her heart. She had very little pocket-money, very little indeed, but when her father was saying good-bye to her he had put two new half-crowns into her hand.
"Keep them unbroken as long as you can, Kitty," he said. "The money will be something to fall back upon in a time of need." And five shillings was a large sum for the Major to give Kitty just then, and Kitty cherished those two half-crowns very dearly, more dearly than anything else in the world, for they had been her father"s last, very last present to her.
But perhaps the hour of need had come. This was the thought that darted into her heart, for Florence did want those cherry-colored ribbons, and Florence"s heart was sore, and things were nearly as bad for her as they were for Kitty herself. Kitty had a brief struggle, and then she made up her mind.
"One moment, mademoiselle; I won"t keep you any time," she called out to the governess, who nodded back to her with a pleased smile on her face, for Kitty was a universal favorite.
Then the young girl rushed upstairs to her dormitory, unlocked her little private drawer, took out her sealskin purse, extracted one of the new half-crowns, and was down again by the little governess cart, whispering eagerly to Mademoiselle Le Brun, within the prescribed time.
"All right," said mademoiselle; "I"ll do the very best I can."
"And have the parcel directed to Florence," said Kitty, "for I don"t want her to know about my giving it to her; I am sure she would rather not. If there is any change from the half-crown you can let me have it back, can you not, mademoiselle?"
"I"ll see to that," said mademoiselle; "there is Florence"s own sixpence towards it, you know. Oh I daresay I can give you a shilling back and get very good ribbon."
"Well, be sure it is soft and satiny and with no cotton in it," called Kitty again, and then the governess cart rolled down the avenue and was lost to view.
Notwithstanding that she had only half a crown in that sealskin purse Kitty felt strangely exultant and happy when she ran back to the cherry orchard and helped her companions in gathering the ripe fruit.
She had put on a large blue ap.r.o.n, for cherries stain a good deal when they are as luscious as those in Cherry Court orchard, and quant.i.ties had to be picked, for it was the custom from time immemorial for each of the guests to take a basket of cherries away with them, and the baskets themselves--long, low, broad, and ornamental--were filled now first with cherry-leaves, and then with fruit, by the excited and happy girls.
After Kitty had spent an hour or two in the cherry orchard she ran into the house, washed her face and hands, smoothed her hair, and ran down to the school-room, for she too wanted to look through her examination papers. They were not difficult, and she was very quick and ready at acquiring knowledge, and she soon felt certain that she could answer all the questions, and, having folded them up, she replaced them in her desk.
It was the custom of the school that each girl should keep her desk locked, and Kitty now slipped the key of hers into her pocket. As she did so the door was opened and Florence came in. Florence looked pale and _distrait_.
"Do you know," she said, "I have got the most racking headache; I wonder if you would hear me through my English History questions, Kitty. It would be awfully kind of you. I am so wretched about every thing and things seem so hopeless, and it is so perfectly miserable to think of spending all the holidays here, for I don"t believe Mrs.
Clavering is going to take us to the seaside after all. Really, I think life is not worth living sometimes."
"Oh, but it is," said Kitty, "and we are only preparing for life now--don"t forget that, Florry."
"I can"t take a high and mighty view of anything just now," said Florence; "I am cross, and that"s a fact. I wish I wasn"t going to the feast to-night. If it were not for the chance of being one of the lucky three in the Scholarship compet.i.tion I wouldn"t appear on the scenes at all, I vow I would not, with that horrid bit of cottony cherry-colored ribbon--yes, I vow I wouldn"t. Why, Kitty, how you have stained your dress; you must have knelt on a cherry when you were picking them just now in the orchard."
"So I have; what a pity!" said Kitty. She glanced down at the deep red stain, and then added, "I"ll run upstairs presently and wash it out."
"Well, don"t catch cold, whatever you do. But stay, won"t you first hear me my English History questions?"
Kitty immediately complied. Yes, Florence was stupid; she did not half know her questions; her replies were wide of the mark. Kitty felt at first distressed and then very determined.
"Look here, Florence," she said, "this will never do; you must work through that portion of English History all the afternoon, and I will help you to the very best of my ability. I happen to know the time of Queen Elizabeth so well, for it was a favorite time with my father. He always loved those old stories of the great worthies who lived in the time of Queen Elizabeth. Yes, I"ll help you. Shall we read these chapters of history together this afternoon?"
"I cannot, I cannot," said Florence. "My head aches and everything seems hopeless. Why, if that is so, Kitty, I shan"t even have a chance of being one of the lucky three."
"Oh, yes, you will--you must," said Kitty. "Half of the pleasure of the compet.i.tion would be lost if you and I were not to work together during the holidays."
"Well, there is something in that," said Florence, brightening as she spoke. "I forgot when I spoke so dismally that you, too, were to spend the holidays here. By the way, has your father sailed yet?"
"On Monday last," said Kitty, in a very low voice. She turned her head aside as she spoke.
"I believe you are the bravest girl in the world," said Florence, stoutly; "but there, you are a great deal too good for me. I wish you were naughty sometimes, such as you used to be, daring and a little defiant and a little indifferent to rules, but you are so changed since the Scholarship has come to the fore. Does it mean a great deal to you, Kitty?"
"I can"t talk of it," said Kitty, "I"d rather not; we are both to try for it; I believe it means a great deal to us both."
"It means an immensity to me," said Florence.
"Then it is not fair for us to talk it over when we are both going to try our hardest to win it, are we not?"
"If that is the case why do you help me with my English History?"
"Because I should like you to be one of the lucky three."
"Are you certain? Although I don"t know this history very well, I shall be a dangerous rival, that I promise."
"I don"t care; I mean to win if I can, but I should like to compete with you," said Kitty, stoutly.
At that moment the sounds of wheels in the avenue was heard, and a moment or two afterwards Mademoiselle Le Brun entered the school-room and put a little parcel into Florence"s hand.
"There, my dear," she said.
Florence let it lie just where it was.
"Thank you," she answered; "you did your best?"
"Yes, dear, I did my best."
The governess left the room without even glancing at Kitty. Kitty felt herself coloring; she bent low, allowing her curly hair to fall over her face and forehead.
A moment later there came an exclamation from Florence.
"Oh, I say, Kitty, what does this mean--look, do look!"
Kitty looked up. The flush had left her face now, and it was cool and composed as usual.
"Why, Florry," she exclaimed, "she has got you three yards, and it is absolutely beautiful, satiny and smooth, and not a sc.r.a.p of cotton in the ribbon, and such a sweet color. What does it mean?"
"Kitty, do you understand?" said Florence.
"I am so glad you have got it," said Kitty, in a quiet voice; "yes, it is lovely ribbon; perhaps they had a cheap sale or something."
"Perhaps," said Florence, "but all the same I don"t believe this ribbon could have been bought for twopence a yard. I must speak to mademoiselle; she could not--oh, no, no, that is impossible--mademoiselle is very poor and stingy--but what does it mean?"