"Don"t get hysterical, my child. That is really very bad for you; but, anyhow, I "ve no time to waste now over a little girl who is surrounded by blessings."
"If Daddy Dumps goes on much longer in that strain I shall absolutely begin to hate him," thought the furious child. "The bare idea of his _thinking_ of talking to me as he has done.--No, Curfew, _don"t_! Put your cold nose away."
Curfew heaved another heavy sigh and lay closer to Tocsin, and with a smaller portion of his tail on Hollyhock"s dress.
Now the olden custom at The Garden and The Paddock--that lovely custom which had suddenly ceased--was music, dancing, games, fun, shrieks of laughter from Precious Stones and Flower Girls, the hearty peal of a man"s voice when he was thoroughly enjoying himself, the gentle, restrained merriment of a lady. This lady was Mrs Constable, who was now going to be a kindergarten teacher, forsooth! And this man was Dumpy Dad, who was going to be an agent, indeed! No wonder the girl and the dogs felt lonely. The end of the happy evenings had arrived.
One evening used to be spent at The Garden, the next at The Paddock; and then the delightful good-byes, the cheerful talk about the early meeting on the morrow, and if it was the evening for The Paddock, the lively and merry walk home with Daddy Dumps and the other Flower Girls.
Oh, how things were changed! What an unbearable woman Aunt Agnes was!
What a horror was Mrs Macintyre! Had not those two between them simply swept four of the Flower Girls out of sight, and _all_ the Precious Stones; and, in addition, had not Dumpy Dad and Aunt Cecilia undertaken some kind of menial work with regard to Dundree and Ardshiel? It was solely and entirely because of Ardshiel that Dumpy Dad was going to be an agent. It was entirely on account of Ardshiel that Aunt Cecilia was going to stoop to be a sort of nursery-governess. Well and cleverly had those wicked women, Aunt Agnes and Mrs Macintyre, laid their plans.
"But the plans o" the de"il never prosper," thought Hollyhock.
"They"ll come to their senses yet; but meanwhile what am _I_ to do?
How ever am I to stand this awful loneliness?" Hollyhock was not a specially clever child. She was pa.s.sionate, fierce, and loving; but she was also rebellious and very determined. There was a great deal in her which might make her a fine woman by-and-by; but, on the other hand, there was much in her which showed that she could be, and might be, utterly ruined.
Suddenly a wild and naughty idea entered her brain. Nothing, not all the coaxing, not all the petting, not all the language in all the world, would get her to go to Ardshiel as a pupil; but might she not go there now, and peep in at the windows and see for herself what was going on, what awful process was transforming the Flower Girls and the Precious Stones into other and different beings?
Her father had said good-night to her, but it was still quite early--between eight and nine o"clock. The Ardshielites, those wicked ones, would still be up. She would have time to go there, to look in and see for herself what was going on.
She was the sort of girl who did nothing by halves. The servants had no occasion to come into the hall again that night. Ah yes, here was Duncan; she had better say something to him in order to lull his suspicions.
The old man came in and began to close the shutters. "Don"t ye sit up ower long, Miss Hollyhock. Ye must be feelin" a bit dowy without the ithers, bless them."
"No, I don"t, Duncan," replied Hollyhock. "But, all the same, I "d best go to bed, I expect."
"Weel, that "s exactly what I "m thinkin"," said the old man. "Ye "ll gang to your rest and have a fine sleep. That"s what a body wants when she"s eaten up wi" loneliness. I ken fine that ye are missin" the ithers, la.s.sie."
"I"m not missing them a bit," replied Hollyhock. "As if I could miss _traitors_."
"Come, come, noo; don"t be talkin" that way." Here Duncan shut the great shutters with a bang. "Why should a young maid talk so ignorant?
Ye "ll be a" richt yet, la.s.sie; but there, ye "re lonesome, my bonnie dearie."
"Suppose, now, you had been me, Duncan, what would you have done?" said Hollyhock suddenly.
"Why, gone to Ardshiel, of course."
"Duncan, I hate you. You "re another traitor."
"No, I"m no," said Duncan; "but I ken what"s richt, and I ken what"s wrang, and when a little la.s.s chooses betwixt and between, why, I says to myself, says I, "Halt a wee, and the cantie la.s.s"ll come round,"
says I. Shall I take the dogs or no, Miss Hollyhock?"
"Yes, take them; I don"t want them," said Hollyhock.
"The poor maister, he"s that loaded wi" work.-- Come away, doggies; come away.-- Guid-nicht to ye, missie; guid-nicht. Bed"s the richt place for ye. I "m sorry that Magsie "s no here to cuddle ye a bit."
"Thanks; I"m glad she"s gone. I hate her," said Hollyhock.
"Ay," said the old man, coming close to the child and looking into her eyes. "Isn"t it a wee bit o" the de"il ye hae in ye the nicht, wi"
your talkin" o" hatin" them that luves ye!--Come, doggies; come. My poor beasties, ye "ll want your rest; and there"s no place like bed for missie hersel"."
"You "d best go to your own bed, too, Duncan," called Hollyhock after him. "You are a very impertinent old man, and getting past your work."
"Past my work, am I, now? Aweel, ye "ll see! Guid-nicht, miss. I bear no malice, although I pity the poor maister."
Duncan departed, taking the greyhound and the bloodhound with him. As soon as she was quite sure that he had gone, and silence, deep and complete, had fallen on the house, Hollyhock took down an old cloak from where it hung in a certain part of the hall, and wrapping it firmly round her shoulders, went out into the night. It was better out of doors--less suffocating, less lonely--and the girl"s terribly low spirits began to rise. She was in for an adventure, and what Scots la.s.sie did not love an adventure?
So she crept stealthily down the avenue, slipped through the smaller of the gates, and presently found herself on the highroad. It was still comparatively early, and certainly neither Lennox nor old Duncan missed her. Duncan thought she was in bed; Lennox was too absorbed in his heavy work to give his naughty little girl a thought. She had chosen to stay behind. It was very troublesome and awkward of her, but he was confident that her rebellious spirit would not last long. Accordingly Hollyhock went the short distance which divided Ardshiel from The Garden, entered by the great iron gates, and walked up the stately avenue toward the beautiful mansion, where her own sisters were traitorously and wickedly enjoying themselves.
"But let them wait until lessons begin," thought Hollyhock; "let them wait until that woman puts the birch on to them; then perhaps they "ll see who"s right--I, the faithful, n.o.ble girl, who would not desert her father, or they, who have just gone off to Ardshiel for a bit of excitement."
Ardshiel really looked remarkably pretty as Hollyhock drew near. It was illuminated by electric light from attic to cellar, and there was such a buzz of young voices, such an eager amount of talk, such peals of happy, childish laughter, that Hollyhock was led thereby in the right direction, and could peep into a very large room which was arranged as a vast playroom on the ground floor, and where all the children at present at Ardshiel were cl.u.s.tered together.
Hollyhock, wearing her dark cloak, looked in. The blinds had not yet been pulled down, and one window was partly open. She therefore saw a sight which caused her heart to ache with furious jealousy. Her own sister Jasmine was talking to a girl whom she addressed as Barbara.
Her own sister Rose of the Garden was chatting bravely with a girl whom she addressed as Augusta. Hollyhock could not help observing that both Barbara and Augusta were particularly nice-looking girls, with fair English faces and refined English voices. All the children were dressed for the evening.
"So _affected_ at a school," thought Hollyhock; "but the birch-rod woman will be on them soon, if I "m not mistaken."
There was, however, a boy present who specially drew her attention and even forced her admiration. He was a remarkably handsome boy, and his name was Ivor. What his surname was Hollyhock could not guess. She only knew that she had never seen such beautiful blue eyes before; and such a manner, too, he had--almost like a man. Why, Jasper, Garnet, Sapphire, Opal, and Emerald could not touch him even for a moment--that is, as far as appearance and ways went.
While she gazed in at the window, who should come up to this boy but her own sister Gentian! She took the boy by the arm and said, "Now let"s sit in a circle and think out our charade for Monday night."
Ivor gave a smile. He looked with admiration at Gentian, whom Hollyhock always considered very plain. Instantly chairs were drawn into a circle, and an excited conversation began.
The birch-rod woman was a long time in appearing! Hollyhock"s black eyes were fixed on the blue eyes of Ivor. It would certainly _not_ be unpleasant to talk to a boy of that sort; but he seemed quite devoted to Gentian--poor, plain, little Gentian--while she, Hollyhock, the beauty of the family, was standing out in the cold; and it _was_ cold on that September night, with a touch of frost just breathing through the air. Hollyhock felt herself shiver; then, all of a sudden, her patience gave way. Those children should not be so happy, while she was so wretched. She got behind the window where no one could see her, and shouted in a loud, cracked voice, which she a.s.sumed for the purpose, "Oh! the ghost! the ghost!"
She then rushed down the avenue, fearing to be caught and discovered.
She ran so fast that her long cloak tripped her, and she suddenly fell and cut her lip. When she came to herself she had to wipe some stains of blood away from her injured lip with her handkerchief.
She just reached the lodge gates in time to shout once again, "The ghost! the ghost!" when the woman who lived in the lodge came out, prepared to lock up for the night.
"Who may you be?" said the woman.
"I"m the ghost. Let me through!" screamed Hollyhock.
And she really looked so frightful, with her big black eyes, and blood-stained face, and streaming lip, that the woman, who was a stranger, and did not know her, called out, "Get ye gone at once or I"ll set the dogs on you. The shortest road ye can go"ll be the best.
Ye "re not a ghost, but a poor cracked body."
Hollyhock was sincerely glad to find herself once again on the highroad, but in some mysterious way her dislike for Ardshiel had vanished, and she felt furiously angry with Ivor Chetwode for daring to take notice of her plain sister, Gentian.
She got into the house without much difficulty, bathed her swollen lip, and retired to bed to think of Ivor"s blue eyes. What a nice boy he must be!--a real bonnie lad, one _worth_ talking to. Why should a girl be a dunce all her days, when there was such a laddie at Ardshiel? Ah, well, she would know more about Master Ivor before long.
She slept soundly, and forgot the troubles of her miserable day. In her dreams she thought of the Precious Stones and Ivor, and imagined them all fighting hard to gain the goodwill of Gentian, who was a freckled little girl, not to be named with her, Hollyhock. If that was the sort of thing that went on at Ardshiel, and the birch-woman did _not_ appear, it must be rather a nice place, when all was said and done.
CHAPTER IX.
THE WOMAN WHO INTERFERED.