"I wish we"d been with you," said Giles. "You"ve had all the luck."
As the car was now repaired, the party once more packed up their baggage, and set forth for the short remainder of their tour. Lenox"s leave was nearly over; Giles would be due in London next week; and Mr.
Hewlitt"s business in Paris was not yet concluded. After another day"s enjoyment they parted at Cheltenham, and sent the girls back to school by train.
"We shan"t forget you, dear," said Mrs. Hewlitt to Loveday, as she saw them off. "You must come and see us again some time--perhaps in America. Take care of my little Diana for me--won"t you?"
"I will--I will, indeed! Oh, I don"t know how to thank you! It"s been just the absolute time of my life!" said Loveday, leaning out of the carriage window as she waved good-bye.
CHAPTER XVII
The Green-eyed Monster
With the summer term came a period of great outdoor activity at Pendlemere. Miss Chadwick, Miss Carr, and Miss Ormrod were tremendously busy on the land, and gave the school a thorough initiation into the principles of gardening. The girls studied birds, noted what insects they ate, and how useful they were in a garden; they learned the life-histories of certain insects, and the causes of some plant diseases; they organized an amateur weather bureau, and kept charts of the progress of their crops. Everybody agreed that the new regime was much more interesting than that of the old days when the gardening had all been done for them, and they had only lounged about the lawn and played tennis. Each flower seemed twice as beautiful when they had helped to grow it, and the vegetables of their own cultivation were voted prize-winners.
Diana, in consideration of her great love for horses, was allowed to give some a.s.sistance in Baron"s toilet, and even sometimes to drive him, a privilege (dependent on good behaviour) which made her supremely happy.
On the whole, though Miss Todd was undoubtedly rather strict, the girls decided that the school was jollier than in Mrs. Gifford"s days. They did not forget their former Princ.i.p.al, who wrote to them sometimes from her new home and told them about her life in Burma, but they had accepted the changed conditions, and had grown to like them. The outdoor department seemed to bring a much wider current of life into Pendlemere.
Miss Chadwick and her two a.s.sistants were thoroughly modern, and would discuss all sorts of up-to-date problems, so that the school kept in touch with the outside world instead of living in the narrow rut of its own little round of lessons and amus.e.m.e.nts. This term four elder students had come, princ.i.p.ally to study gardening under Miss Chadwick.
They were girls of eighteen and nineteen, who, instead of being placed among the school, took somewhat the position of the old-fashioned "parlour boarder" of sixty years ago, and were on terms of intimacy with the mistresses. Naturally they were the envy and admiration of those less fortunate beings who were still only ordinary pupils. They were good-natured to the schoolgirls, but held themselves a little aloof.
Sometimes, in a rather superior manner, they would condescend to be friendly. Each had her own train of worshippers. The prettiest and most attractive of the four was Adeline Hoyle, a tall, fine-looking girl with dark eyes, a very fair skin, and thick coils of brown hair twisted into a cla.s.sic knot. There was a calm dignity about her and a charm of manner that was exceedingly taking. It bowled over Diana"s heart entirely. She took a sudden and most violent affection for Adeline. She would hang about to try to get a word with her, flush crimson at the slightest notice from her idol, and was ready to perform anything in the way of odd jobs. She even took up sewing--a much neglected part of her education--in order to embroider a handkerchief-case as a birthday offering. It is an exhilarating, but rather wearing process to be violently in love, especially when you are decidedly doubtful as to whether the loved object in the least appreciates your attentions.
Adeline would accept Diana"s sweets or flowers with a kind "Thank you", and then pat her on the shoulder and tell her to run away. She would sometimes allow her to link arms in the garden, but it was suffered with an air of amused tolerance. It was obvious that she very much preferred the society of Hilary, who was nearer her own age, and that she regarded intermediates as mere children. Diana, who was eccentric in her likes and dislikes, but very keen when she took a fancy to anybody, went through all the stages of longing, hope, elation, despair, and jealousy.
When she saw Hilary received into supreme favour, the green-eyed monster swooped down and took possession of her. Loveday, who had watched the progress of the affair with some distress, offered what consolation she could in the sanctuary of the ivy room.
"Adeline"s really very good to you," she comforted.
"Yes, but she doesn"t care twopence," raged Diana. "I know she"s nice and kind and all that, but she loves me with the love she"d give to a distressed negro or a starved cat. I want her to _want_ me--and she doesn"t one little bit! She just tolerates me sometimes, and that"s all.
What she can see in Hilary I can"t imagine. I think Hilary"s the most detestable girl in the school. I always have disliked her. I _hate_ her now!"
"Some people say that hating anybody sends out "thought-forms" like hideous daggers into the invisible world, and they do dreadful harm, and in the end they come back to their owners like curses. Can"t you manage to send out some prettier thoughts?"
"No, Loveday Seton; I can"t, and won"t, and shan"t!" said Diana emphatically, s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up mouth and eyes into one of her ugliest faces.
"I"m not going to pretend I like Hilary when I don"t--that would be a fiblet and worse than red daggers. Yes, you can call me naughty if you like. I"ve got to the stage when I don"t care."
Knowing by experience that Diana generally received suggestions in this way, but sometimes ruminated over her remarks afterwards, Loveday shelved the question of thought-forms and their possible ill effects, and petted her spoilt room-mate instead till she cajoled her into a better temper. The green-eyed monster still reigned, however, and Diana sat at tea-time flashing, if not red daggers, very obvious untoward glances, as she caught a smile of comprehension pa.s.s between Adeline and Hilary. n.o.body had time to take much notice of her heroics.
Everyone was too busy discussing school affairs. The very latest news was that the boat-house was at last to be unlocked, the boat thoroughly overhauled and painted, and that mistresses and students would go rowing on the lake. A rumour even began to circulate that certain favoured members of the school might be taken as pa.s.sengers.
"We used when Mrs. Gifford was here," said Wendy. "She often got Mr.
Thwaites from the village to come and row us. It was top-hole. And once he let Tattie and me try to row, but I "caught a crab" and dropped the oar. I"d soon learn though, if I"d another chance."
"We ought to have two or three boats," decided Sadie.
"One for each form," amended Vi.
"You bet it"s only seniors who"ll have any luck," groused Diana, who was still in the depths of despondency.
"There"s no knowing," said Jess hopefully.
Though they might not be certain of sharing in the pleasure of navigating the lake, there was at least an element of antic.i.p.ation in the matter. It was just possible that some fine day Miss Todd might say to one of them: "Put on your jersey and you may go for a row". They felt it was one of those sporting chances that sometimes turn up in a life.
They hung about the boat-house wistfully when Mr. Appleton from Glenbury did his task of overhauling, and if he went away for a few minutes they took advantage of his absence to scramble in and sit inside the boat and imagine how delightful it would feel to be really on the water. They began to practise boat-songs, just to be ready for any emergency, and would sit on the landing-place singing "Row, brothers, row!" or "My barque is on the sh.o.r.e".
It was very exciting when repairs got to the painting stage, especially when Diana did not notice, and took a leap inside, with equal disaster to Mr. Appleton"s nice coat of paint and her own serge skirt. Great was the day when the _Peveril_ at last was dry, and Mr. Appleton launched her himself on the lake, and took Miss Todd, Miss Beverley, and Miss Chadwick for a trial trip. The school, watching enviously from the bank, decided that nothing but a steamer, or a small fleet of rowboats could satisfy its demands. They considered rowing ought to be a part of every girl"s education.
As Diana had prophesied, the intermediates came in for no luck. Miss Chadwick and her a.s.sistants, with the four gardening students, monopolized the _Peveril_. They took Miss Todd, Miss Beverley, and Miss Hampson out for airings on the lake; occasionally a senior was invited, and once the four youngest girls in the school were given a brief treat.
All the rest had just to look on and long. Diana, indeed, extorted a sort of half promise from Adeline that some time, when it was convenient, and if she was not too busy, and if n.o.body else wanted the boat, she would let her realize her ambition, but so far this promise had remained an empty one, a vague invitation that meant nothing. Diana, catching Adeline in the garden one afternoon, made a desperate effort to obtain its fulfilment.
[Ill.u.s.tration: DIANA CALLED AND SHOUTED TO THEM. THEY TOOK NO NOTICE]
"Just for ten minutes," she pleaded.
"I"m so busy," evaded Adeline. "I"ve got seedlings to plant out, and really haven"t time to take people on the lake. What a bother you are, Diana!"
"You said you would some time."
"Well, so I will; but the time isn"t to-day. I"ve other things to do."
"May I help you to plant the seedlings?"
"No indeed! They need very delicate handling, and I"m responsible to Miss Chadwick for them. Why don"t you go and help Miss Carr?"
With a decidedly snubbed feeling Diana strolled away, not to help Miss Carr, for it was recreation hour, and she felt at liberty to employ her leisure as she liked, but to find Wendy or some other congenial spirit.
Wendy, Sadie, and Vi, however, had gone to the village with Miss Ormrod, and Tattie, Jess, Magsie, and Peggy occupied the tennis-court. Diana was the only one of the intermediates left out. She felt exceedingly aggrieved. She stood for a while watching the set; but looking on at tennis is never very amusing, so she wended her solitary way into the house to fetch a book. Down the corridor bustled Miss Hampson in a hurry.
"Diana! I was just wanting somebody, and you"ll do. Will you go and tell Adeline that Miss Todd wishes to speak to her as soon as she"s finished in the greenhouse?"
Miss Hampson, with her arms full of exercise books to correct, disappeared into the senior room, and Diana departed on her errand.
Adeline was not in the greenhouse. She had not even begun to transplant the seedlings, though the pots and the soil were ready. Diana waited a few minutes to see if she would come, then went in quest of her. Bobbing briskly down the shrubbery path were two heads, a dark one with hair in a cla.s.sic knot, and a fair one with a pig-tail. They could just be distinguished above the line of the laurels. Diana put her hands to her mouth and called:
"Ad--el--ine!"
The heads turned for a moment to look, then scuttled on with the utmost rapidity. Diana, following, caught a glimpse of two figures whisking past the boat-house to the landing-place. She stopped dead.
"So it"s Hilary Adeline"s taking with her. And they"re going in the boat. Well, of all mean things this is the limit! Adeline hadn"t time to take people on the lake, and wanted to plant seedlings. That"s why she was so anxious to send me off to help Miss Carr. If she won"t listen when I call to her _I_"m not going to bother to give her Miss Hampson"s message. I don"t suppose Miss Todd wants her about anything important.
I"m fed up!"
A very disconsolate and indignant Diana once more walked up the garden; the green-eyed monster was sitting on her back and digging in his disagreeable talons pretty deeply; he was anything but a bright companion. She wandered aimlessly round the orchard, and finally came across Miss Carr and Loveday carrying out food to the chickens. They were chatting as she met them, and the words drifted to her between the apple-trees.
"So Mr. Appleton said it really wasn"t safe at all, and Miss Todd had better let n.o.body take her out till he could come up. He"d try to come this evening, but he wasn"t sure if he"d manage it because--why, Diana, what"s the matter?"
"Is it the boat you"re talking about?" demanded a breathless, excited little figure.
"Yes--but why? Diana! What is it? Di--an--a!"
Loveday spoke to the winds, for already her room-mate was half-way down the orchard. Diana"s feet were trying to keep pace with her whirling brain. The boat was unsafe! That, no doubt, was the message that Miss Todd had intended for Adeline. If she had not already started it might be possible to stop her, or at any rate to call her back. She raced along the shrubbery and down the bank to the landing-place. But Adeline and Hilary had wasted no time, and were already quite a considerable way out on the lake. Diana called and shouted to them. They turned their heads to look, evidently laughed, and took no notice. It was plain that they thought Diana wished them to return and take her for a row, and that they had no intention of any such philanthropic course of action.
On the landing-place Diana raged. If the _Peveril_ were really unsafe every stroke of the oar was taking Adeline and Hilary into greater danger. How could she possibly make them understand? The more she called, the more they would row away.