"Some outdoor costume, with a picturesque hat. I must have a uniform, of course."
"A brown waterproof with a leather belt?"
Chrissie pulled a face.
"I hate these make-ups out of girls" clothes! I"d like a real genuine uniform to do the thing properly."
"But we couldn"t get one!"
"Yes, we could. It"s your exeat on Wednesday, and you might borrow your brother"s. He"s in bed, and can"t wear it."
"What a ripping notion!" gasped Marjorie. "But I couldn"t carry a great parcel back to school. Norty"d see it, and make one of her stupid fusses."
"We must smuggle it, then. Look here, when you go to your aunt"s make the clothes into a parcel and leave it just inside the gate. I"ve a friend at Whitecliffe, and I"ll manage to write to her and ask her to call and take it, and drop it over the wall at Brackenfield for me."
"Won"t Norty ask where we got it, when she sees you wearing it?"
"She might be nasty about it beforehand, but I don"t believe she"d say anything on the evening, especially if the charade goes off well. It"s worth risking."
"You"d look ripping in Leonard"s uniform! Of course it would be too big."
"That wouldn"t matter. Will you get it for me?"
"Right oh!"
"Good. Then I"ll write to my friend."
"You"re writing now!" chuckled Marjorie, for Chrissie had been scribbling idly on the blotting-paper while she talked. "Look what you"ve put, you goose! "Christine Lange!" Don"t you know how to spell your own name? I didn"t think it had an _e_ at the end of it!"
Chrissie flushed scarlet. For a moment she looked overwhelmed with confusion; then, recovering herself, she forced a laugh.
"What an idiot I am! I can"t imagine why I should stick on an extra _e_.
Lang is a good old Scottish name."
"Are you related to Andrew Lang, the famous author?"
"I believe there"s a family connection."
The charades were to be held on the evening of the next Wednesday, after supper, which was fixed half an hour earlier to allow sufficient time for the festivities afterwards. That afternoon would be Marjorie"s and Dona"s last exeat before the holidays, and they were determined to make the most of it. They would, of course, visit Leonard and Larry, and they also wished if possible to say good-bye to Eric. They had begged Elaine to leave a note at the kiosk, asking him to be waiting at their old trysting-place on the cliffs at five o"clock, and they meant to take him some last little presents. If they did not see him to-day it would be the end of September before they could meet again.
"He"ll miss the fairy ladies when we"ve gone home," said Dona. "Sweet darling! I wish we could take him with us!"
"I wonder if he ever goes away?" speculated Marjorie.
"I shouldn"t think he"d be strong enough to travel."
When the girls arrived at The Tamarisks they found Leonard installed in bed, a remarkably cheerful invalid, and apparently not fretting over his enforced period of rest.
"I"ve got a little Red Cross Hospital here all to myself," he informed his sisters. "A jolly nice one, too! I can thoroughly recommend it. I shan"t want to budge."
"Then they"ll send an army doctor down to examine you for shirking,"
laughed Marjorie.
"I can"t hop back to the front on one leg," objected Leonard.
Elaine was head nurse in the afternoons, an arrangement which seemed to be appreciated equally by herself and the patient.
"I"d run up with you to the Red Cross Hospital to see Larry," she a.s.sured Marjorie and Dona, "but I oughtn"t to leave Leonard. Hodson shall take you, and go on with you to the cove afterwards. Give my love to Eric. I hope the dear little fellow is better. I bought the things for him, as you asked me. They"re on the table in the hall. We"ll have tea in Leonard"s room before you start."
Under a pretence of inspecting Eric"s presents, Marjorie ran downstairs.
She wanted somehow to get hold of Leonard"s uniform, and she was afraid that if she mentioned it, Elaine, in her capacity of nurse, would say no.
"I shan"t ask," decided Marjorie. "Elaine is a little "bossy", and inclined to appropriate Leonard all to herself at present. Surely his own sister can borrow his uniform. I know it"s in the dressing-room. I could see it, and I got up and shut the door on purpose. I"ll go round by the other door and take it."
The deed was quickly done. Leonard"s suit-case was lying open on the floor, and she packed in it what she wanted, not without tremors lest Elaine should come in suddenly from the bedroom and catch her. She could hear nurse and invalid laughing together. Bag in hand, she hurried downstairs and out into the garden. Down by the gate a woman was already hanging about waiting. It would be the work of a moment to give it to her. But Marjorie had not calculated upon Dona. That placid young person usually accepted whatever her elder sister thought fit to do. On this occasion she interfered.
"What are you doing with Leonard"s suit-case?" she asked.
Marjorie hastily explained.
"Don"t," begged Dona promptly. "Leonard will be fearfully savage about it. How are you going to get his things back to him?"
"I don"t know," stammered Marjorie. She had, indeed, never thought about it.
"I"ve been watching that woman," urged Dona, "and I don"t like her. She asked me if this were "The Tamarisks", and she speaks quite broken English. You mustn"t give her Leonard"s uniform."
"But I promised to get it for Chrissie to act in."
"Marjorie, I tell you I don"t trust Chrissie."
The woman, seeing the two girls, came inside the gate, and advanced smilingly towards them. Marjorie, annoyed at Dona"s interference, and anxious to have her own way, greeted the stranger effusively.
"Have you come for the bag? For Miss Lang? Thanks so much. Here it is!"
Then for once in her life Dona a.s.serted herself.
"No, it isn"t!" she snapped, and, s.n.a.t.c.hing the bag from her sister"s hand, she rushed with it into the house.
Marjorie followed in a towering pa.s.sion, but her remonstrances were useless. Dona, when she once took an idea into her head, was the most obstinate person in the world.
"Leonard"s things are back in the dressing-room, and I"ve opened the door wide into his bedroom," she announced doggedly. "If you want to get them you"ll have to take them from under Elaine"s nose."
Full of wrath, Marjorie had nevertheless to make the best of it. The woman had vanished from the garden, and Elaine was calling to them that tea was ready in Leonard"s bedroom. The invalid had a splendid appet.i.te, and, as his nurse did not consider that he ought to be rationed, the home-made war buns disappeared rapidly.
"It"s top-hole picnicking here with you girls," he announced. "Wouldn"t some of our fellows at the front be green with envy if they only knew!"
Marjorie was distant with Dona all the way to the Red Cross Hospital, but recovered her temper during the ten minutes spent with Larry. They were not allowed to stay long, as it was out of visiting hours, though Elaine had obtained special permission from the Commandant for them to call and say good-bye to him. Still laughing at his absurd jokes, they rejoined Hodson, and set off along the road over the moor. As they neared the cove they looked out anxiously to see if Eric were at the usual trysting-place, but there was no sign of him to-day. They sat down and waited, thinking that the long perambulator had probably been wheeled into Whitecliffe, and had not yet returned. In about ten minutes Lizzie came hurrying up alone.
"I"ve run all the way!" she panted. "He got your letter, did Eric, and he was that set on coming, but he"s very ill to-day and must stop in bed. He"s just fretting his heart out because he can"t say good-bye to you. He"ll say nothing all the time but "I want my fairy ladies--I want my fairy ladies!" His ma said she wondered if you"d mind coming in for a minute just to see him. It"s not far. It would soothe him down wonderful."