Though the usual outdoor games were perforce suspended, the school nevertheless found an outlet for its energies. There was a little hill at the bottom of the big playing-field, and down this the girls managed to get some tobogganing. They had no sleds, but requisitioned tea-trays and drawing-boards, often with rather amusing results, though fortunately the snow was soft to fall in. Another diversion was a mock battle. The combatants threw up trenches of snow, and, arming themselves with a supply of s...o...b..a.l.l.s, kept up a brisk fire until ammunition was exhausted. It was a splendid way of keeping up the circulation, and the girls would run in after this exercise with crimson cheeks. At night, however, they suffered very much from the cold. Open bedroom windows were a cardinal rule, and, with the thermometer many degrees below zero, the less hardy found it almost impossible to keep warm. Marjorie, who was rather a chilly subject, lay awake night after night and shivered.
It was true that hot bricks were allowed, but with so many beds to look after, the maids did not always bring them up at standard heat, and Marjorie"s half-frozen toes often found only lukewarm comfort. After enduring the misery for three nights, she boldly went to Mrs. Morrison and begged permission to be taken to Whitecliffe to buy an india-rubber hot-water bag, which she could herself fill in the bath-room. Part of the Empress"s success as a Princ.i.p.al was due to the fact that she was always ready to listen to any reasonable demands. Hers was no red-tape rule, but a system based on sensible methods. She smiled as Marjorie rather bashfully uttered her request.
"Fifteen other girls have asked me the same thing," she replied. "You may all go into Whitecliffe this afternoon with Miss Duckworth, and see what you can find at the Stores."
Rejoicing in this little expedition, the favoured sixteen set off at two o"clock, escorted by the mistress. There had been great drifts on the high road, and the snow was dug out and piled on either side in glistening heaps. The white cliffs and hills and the grey sky and sea gave an unusual aspect to the landscape. A flock of sea-gulls whirled round on the beach, but of other birds there were very few. Even the clumps of seaweed on the sh.o.r.e looked frozen. Nature was at her dreariest, and anyone who had seen the place in the summer glory of heather, bracken, and blue sea could hardly have believed it to be the same. The promenade was deserted, the pier shut up, and those people whose business took them into the streets hurried along as if they were anxious to get home again.
The girls found it was not such an easy matter as they had imagined to procure sixteen hot-water bags. Owing to the war, rubber was scarce, and customers had already made many demands upon the supply. The Stores could only produce nine bags.
"I have some on order, and expect them in any day," said the a.s.sistant.
"Shall I send some out for you when they come?"
Knowing by experience that goods thus ordered might take weeks to arrive, the girls declined, and set out to visit the various chemists"
shops in the town, with the result that by buying a few at each, they in the end made up their numbers. The sizes and prices of the bags varied considerably, but the girls were so glad to get any at all, that they would have cheerfully paid double if it had been necessary.
Feeling thoroughly satisfied with their shopping expedition, they turned their steps again towards Brackenfield, up the steep path past the church, over the bridge that spanned the railway, and along the cliff walk that led from the town on to the moor. As they pa.s.sed the end of the bare beech avenue, they met a party of wounded soldiers from the Red Cross Hospital, in the blue convalescent uniform of His Majesty"s forces. One limped on crutches, and one was in a Bath chair, wheeled by a companion; most of the rest wore bandages either on their arms or heads. Marjorie looked at them attentively, hoping to recognize some of the patients she had seen at the Christmas-tree entertainment, but these were all strangers, and she reflected that the other set must have been pa.s.sed on by now to convalescent homes. She was walking at the end of the line, and Miss Duckworth did not happen to be looking. A sudden spirit of mischief seized her, and hastily stooping and catching up a handful of snow, she kneaded it quickly, and threw it at Mollie Simpson to attract her attention. It was done on the spur of the moment, in sheer fun. But, alas for Marjorie! her aim was not true, and instead of hitting Mollie her missile struck one of the soldiers. He chuckled with delight, and promptly responded. In a moment his companions were kneading s...o...b..a.l.l.s and pelting the school. Now wounded Tommies are regarded as very privileged persons, and the girls, instantly catching the spirit of the encounter, broke line and began to throw back s...o...b..a.l.l.s.
"Girls, girls!" cried Miss Duckworth"s shocked and agitated voice; "come along at once! Don"t look at those soldiers. Attention! Form line immediately! Quick march!"
Rather flushed and flurried, her flock controlled themselves, conscious that they had overstepped the mark, and under the keen eye of their mistress, who now brought up the rear instead of leading, they filed off in their former crocodile. Every one of the sixteen knew that there was trouble in store for her. They discussed it uneasily on the way home.
Nor were they mistaken. At tea-time Miss Rogers, after ringing the silence bell, announced that those girls who had been to Whitecliffe that afternoon must report themselves in Mrs. Morrison"s study at 5.15.
It is one thing to indulge in a moment"s fun, and quite another to pay the price afterwards. Sixteen very rueful faces were a.s.sembled in the pa.s.sage outside the study by 5.15. n.o.body would have had the courage to knock, but the Princ.i.p.al herself opened the door, and bade them enter.
They filed in like a row of prisoners. Mrs. Morrison marshalled them into a double line opposite her desk, then, standing so as to command the eyes of all, she opened the vials of her wrath. She reproached them for unladylike conduct, loss of dignity, and lack of discipline.
"Where are the traditions of Brackenfield," she asked, "if you can so far forget yourselves as to descend to such behaviour? One would imagine you were poor ignorant girls who had never been taught better; indeed, many a Sunday-school cla.s.s would have had more self-respect. Whoever began it"--here she looked hard at Marjorie--"is directly responsible for lowering the tone of the school. Think what disgrace it brings on the name of Brackenfield for such an act to be remembered against her pupils! Knit and sew for the soldiers, get up concerts for them, and speak kindly to them in the hospitals, but never for a moment forget in your conduct what is due both to yourself and to them. This afternoon"s occurrence has grieved me more than I can express. I had believed that I could trust you, but I find to my sorrow that I was mistaken."
CHAPTER XIV
The Secret Society of Patriots
Marjorie"s friendship for Chrissie Lang at present flamed at red heat.
Marjorie was p.r.o.ne to violent attachments, her temperament was excitable, and she was easily swayed by her emotions. She would take up new people with enthusiasm, though she was apt to drop them afterwards.
Since her babyhood "Marjorie"s latest idol" had been a byword in the family. She had worshipped by turns her kindergarten teacher, a little curly-headed boy whom she met at dancing-cla.s.s, her gymnasium mistress, at least ten separate form-mates, the Girl Guides" captain, and a friend of Nora"s. Her affection varied according to the responsiveness of the object, though in some cases she had even been ready to love without return. Chrissie, however, seemed ready to meet her half-way. She was enthusiastic and demonstrative and rather sentimental. To be sure, she gave Marjorie very little of her confidence; but the latter, who liked to talk herself and pour out her own ideas, did not trouble on that score, and was quite content to have found a sympathetic listener. The two girls were inseparable. They walked round the quadrangle arm in arm; they sat side by side in any cla.s.s where liberty to choose places was allowed. They exchanged picture post cards, foreign stamps, and crests; they gave each other presents, and wrote sentimental little notes which they hid under one another"s pillows.
The general opinion of the form was that Marjorie had "got it badly".
"Can"t imagine what she sees in Chrissie Lang myself," sniffed Annie Turner. "She"s not particularly interesting. Her nose is too big, and she can"t say her r"s properly."
"She"s mean, too," added Francie Sheppard. "I"m collecting for the Seamen"s Mission, and she wouldn"t even give me a penny."
"She tried to truckle to Norty, too," put in Patricia Lennox. "She bought violets in Whitecliffe, and laid them on the desk in Norty"s study, with a piece of cardboard tied to them with white ribbon, and "With love from your devoted pupil Chrissie" written on it. Norty gave them back to her, though, and said she"d made it a rule to accept nothing from any girl, not even flowers."
"Good for Norty!"
"Oh, trust the Acid Drop not to lapse into anything sentimental! She"s as hard as nails. The devoted-pupil dodge doesn"t go down with her."
Marjorie had to run a considerable gauntlet of chaff from her schoolmates, but that did not trouble her in the least. A little opposition, indeed, added spice to the friendship. Her home letters were full of praise of her new idol.
"Chrissie is the most adorable girl you can imagine," she wrote to her mother. "We do everything together now. I can"t tell you how glad I am she has come to school. I tell her all about Bevis and Leonard and Larry, and she is so interested and wants to know just where they are and what they are doing. She says it is because they are my brothers.
Dona does not care for her very much, but that is because she is such great friends with Ailsa Donald. I took a snapshot of Chris yesterday, and she took one of me. I"ll send them both to you as soon as we have developed and printed them. We don"t get much time to do photography, because we"re keen on acting this term, and I"m in the Charade Society.
Chrissie has made me a handkerchief in open-hem st.i.tch, and embroidered my name most beautifully on it. I wish I could sew as well as she does.
I lost it in the hockey field, and did not find it for three days, and I dared not tell Chrissie all that time, for fear she might be offended.
She"s dreadfully sensitive. She says she has a highly nervous organism, and I think it"s true."
It was about this time that it was rumoured in St. Elgiva"s that Irene Andrews had started a secret society. What its name or object might be n.o.body knew, but its votaries posed considerably for the benefit of the rest of the hostel. They preserved an air of aloofness and dignity, as if concerned with weighty matters. It was evident that they had a pa.s.sword and a code of signals, and that they met in Irene"s dormitory, with closed door and a scout to keep off intruders. When pressed to give at least a hint as to the nature of their proceedings, they replied that they would cheerfully face torture or the stake before consenting to reveal a single word. Now Dormitory No. 9 had never quite forgiven Irene for deserting in favour of No. 5 and Mavie Chapman. Its occupants discussed the matter as they went to bed.
"Renie"s so fearfully important," complained Betty. "I asked her something this morning, and she said: "Don"t interrupt me, child," as if she were the King busy on State affairs."
"She"ll hardly look at us nowadays," agreed Sylvia plaintively.
"I"ll tell you what," suggested Marjorie. "Let"s get up a secret society of our own. It would take the wind out of Renie"s sails tremendously to find that we had pa.s.swords and signals and all the rest of it. She"d be most fearfully annoyed."
"It"s a good idea," a.s.sented Sylvia, "but what could we have a secret society about?"
"Well, why not have it a sort of patriotic one, to do all we can to help the war, knit socks for the soldiers, and that kind of thing?"
"We knit socks already," objected Betty.
"That doesn"t matter, we must knit more, that"s all. There must be heaps of things we can do for the war. Besides, it"s the spirit of the thing that counts. We pledge ourselves to give our last drop of blood for our country. We"ve all of us got fathers and brothers who are fighting."
"Chrissie hasn"t anybody at the front," demurred Betty, rather spitefully.
"That"s not Chrissie"s fault. We"re not all born with brothers. Because you"re lucky enough to have an uncle who"s an admiral, you needn"t quite squash other people!"
"How you fly out! I was only mentioning a fact."
"Anybody with tact wouldn"t have mentioned it."
"What shall we call the society?" asked Sylvia, bringing the disputants back to the original subject of the discussion.
"How would "The Secret Society of Patriots" do?" suggested Chrissie.
"The very thing!" a.s.sented Marjorie warmly. "Trust Chrissie to hit on the right name. We"ll let just a few into it--Patricia, perhaps, and Enid and Mollie, but n.o.body else. We must take an oath, and regard it as absolutely binding."
"Like the Freemasons," agreed Sylvia. "I believe they kill anybody who betrays them."
"We"ll have an initiation ceremony," purred Marjorie, highly delighted with the new venture. "And of course we"ll arrange a pa.s.sword and signals, and I don"t see why we shouldn"t have a cryptogram, and write each other notes. It would be ever so baffling for the rest to find letters lying about that they couldn"t read. They"d be most indignant."
"Right you are! It"ll be priceless! We"ll do Irene this time!"
The new society at once established itself upon lines of utmost secrecy.
Its initiates found large satisfaction in playing it off against their rivals. Though they preserved its objects in a halo of mystery, they allowed just the initials of its name to leak out, so as to convince the hostel of its reality. Unfortunately they had not noticed that S.S.O.P.
spells "sop", but the outside public eagerly seized at such an opportunity, and nicknamed them "the Milksops" on the spot. As they had expected, Irene and her satellites were highly affronted at an opposition society being started, and flung scorn at its members.
"We mustn"t mind them," urged Marjorie patiently. "It"s really a compliment to us that they"re so annoyed. We"ll just go on our own way and take no notice. I"ve invented a beautiful cryptogram. They"ll never guess it without the key, if they try for a year."