There was nothing for it but a full confession, and a very disagreeable ten minutes followed for both. Miss Maitland knew how to maintain discipline, and would not overlook such a flagrant breach of orders.
"I had distinctly forbidden you to go," she said. "I am extremely disappointed, for I thought I could have depended on your sense of honour to behave as well behind my back as if you had been walking in front. You may be most thankful to have escaped from a danger into which your own disobedience led you. I am sorry that our pleasant ramble should have ended so unfortunately; it will be very difficult for me to rely on either of you again."
CHAPTER XII
St. Kolgan"s Abbey
"After what happened on Latchfield Moors," remarked Vivian Holmes, one afternoon about a week later, "I think it is extremely good of Miss Maitland to allow Honor Fitzgerald and Lettice Talbot to go to the picnic to-morrow. I shouldn"t have been in the least surprised if she had left them both out, and I should certainly have said it served them right."
Vivian was at an age when stern justice appears more attractive than mercy. She kept rules rigidly herself, and had scant patience with those who did not, serving out retribution in her capacity of monitress with an unsparing hand. She was perhaps too hard on prodigals, but her influence and authority undoubtedly did much to maintain the high standard of St. Chad"s; and if she were not altogether popular, she was, at any rate, greatly respected.
Honor"s last delinquency had placed her more than ever on Vivian"s bad list. The monitress considered that it completely cancelled the bathing episode, and regarded "that wild Irish girl" as the black sheep of the house, ready to lead astray such innocent lambs as Lettice Talbot who were impressionable enough to be influenced by her example. Miss Maitland, though grieved at such a relapse from the marked improvement that Honor had shown, was fortunately a better judge of character. She knew that old habits are not overcome all at once, and that it takes many stumblings and fallings and risings again before any human soul can struggle uphill. She did not want Honor to be discouraged, and hoped that if the girl felt herself trusted she would make an effort to be more worthy of confidence.
"I put you on your parole," she said to her. "It would be impossible for me to take you to Baldurstone if I imagined you were capable of a repet.i.tion of what occurred last week. I think, however, that I need feel no anxiety on that score."
"I promise faithfully," said Honor, and she meant it.
Vivian"s opinions largely led popular feeling, and as Honor did not hold a high place in her estimation, the other Chaddites also, in consequence of the affair on the moors, slightly ostracized "Paddy", letting her understand that they did not altogether approve of her.
Lettice Talbot suffered a severe snubbing from her elder sister, in addition to Miss Maitland"s censure.
"It was such shockingly bad form!" declared Maisie. "Why, you might have been two little Sunday-school children, running away from your teacher to buy common sweets at a small village shop! I"m utterly ashamed of you. We don"t do such things at Chessington. No wonder Miss Maitland was amazed and disgusted. Yes, I know Honor Fitzgerald is listening; I"m very glad, because she"ll hear what I think of your fine adventure."
Honor undoubtedly felt much crestfallen to find that what she had regarded as spirited independence was labelled "bad form" at the College. On reflection it struck her that, apart from all rules, it had perhaps been scarcely polite to rush away, in direct opposition to the expressed wishes of one who had been taking so much trouble to make their walk interesting. In common with all the Chaddites, she keenly appreciated both Miss Maitland"s personality and her knowledge of nature lore, and had enjoyed the expedition on the hills immensely.
To be left out of the picnic would have been a bitter disappointment.
It was the great event of the summer term. Each house took its excursion on a separate day, as Miss Cavendish considered that the whole school made too formidable an invasion for any place. St.
Hilary"s and St. Aldwyth"s had already respectively visited Weyland Castle and Eccleston Woods, and it was now the turn of St. Chad"s to choose a destination. Miss Maitland had made a list of several interesting spots, which were well worth seeing, and had put the matter to a general ballot, with the result that by a majority of eight the votes fell in favour of St. Kolgan"s Abbey at Baldurstone.
"It"s the nicest of all, and Miss Maitland"s favourite," announced Lettice.
"I chose it for three reasons," said Honor: "first, because it"s the farthest off, and I like to have a long journey; secondly, because we"re to go most of the way by steamer, and I love being on the sea; and thirdly, because Flossie Taylor wanted Haselmere Hall."
"What a very intelligent and desirable motive!" sneered Vivian Holmes, who happened to overhear. "You evidently go on the principle of pig philosophy. As a matter of fact, Miss Maitland said she had no preference."
"I was speaking to Lettice," retorted Honor. "I suppose my motives are my own business?"
"Oh, certainly! They"re not of the slightest interest to me."
"Vivian"s rather snappy this evening," whispered Lettice, as the monitress stalked away. "I believe she voted for Haselmere herself."
"Then I"m doubly glad it"s to be Baldurstone. Even if people are monitresses, they"ve no need to think it"s their mission to squash everybody else perpetually. I can hardly make the least remark without Vivian sitting upon me."
"You always answer her back, you see, and she thinks that"s cheek in a new girl."
"I"m not new now."
"Yes, you are--you"re not through your first term yet. Vivian says it takes a whole year to become a full-blown Chaddite, and until you"ve thoroughly a.s.similated Chessington ideas you oughtn"t to presume to air outside opinions."
"What bosh!"
"No, it"s not bosh. You see, we all think that Chessington is the only girls" school in England, and that St. Chad"s is the one house at Chessington. One must keep up the traditions of the place, and it wouldn"t do to let every fresh comer take the lead. You"ll have to knuckle under, Paddy, and eat humble pie. Vivian has been here for five years--she"s simply a "Chaddite of the Chaddites". That"s why she was chosen monitress. You"ll have your chance when you get to the Sixth Form."
"Shall I ever climb so high up in the school? If I were head of the house, though, I"d be rather less hard on new arrivals."
"Oh, no, you wouldn"t! By the time you"ve gone through the mill yourself you"ll want to grind everybody else. There"s an attraction about the St. Chad"s code; you"ll like it better when you"re more used to it, and when you"ve forgotten any pettifogging notions you may have brought from anywhere else."
"You"re outspoken, at any rate!"
"Certainly! I believe in plain, unvarnished truths."
Honor had already discovered that fact, and also the further one that whatever a girl"s position might be at home, it made no difference to her standing at the College, where each was judged solely and entirely on her own merits. She had once unfortunately alluded with a touch of pride to her family pedigree, but she rued her mistake in a moment, for Vivian, with uplifted eyebrows, had enquired in a tone of cutting contempt: "Who are the Fitzgeralds?"
A large public school is indeed a vast democracy, and members are estimated only by the value they prove themselves to be to the commonweal: their private possessions and affairs matter little to the general community, but their examination successes, cricket scores, or tennis championships are of vital importance. All, to use an old phrase, must find their own level, and establish a record for themselves apart from home belongings. Honor was beginning to realize that among two hundred girls she was a mere unit, and that her opinions and prejudices counted as nothing against the enormous weight of universal custom. It was quite a new aspect of life, so new that she was not sure whether she liked or disliked it; although, if she had been given her choice of remaining at the College or returning to the old, slipshod, do-as-you-please regime of her schoolroom at Kilmore, she would have decided most emphatically, despite strict rules, scoldings, snubs, and unwelcome truths, in favour of Chessington.
n.o.body wished to lie in bed on the morning of the picnic; even Honor, to whom early rising was still one of the greatest banes of existence, actually woke up before the bell rang, and had the triumph of rousing her sleeping companion, a reversal of the customary order of things that afforded her much satisfaction.
"It"s delightful to think that St. Chad"s is going off for a jaunt, while all the other houses will have lessons just as usual," she remarked. "I"m sure I shall enjoy it twice as much when I think of Christina Stanton and Mary Nicholls toiling through equations and physics."
"It will be their turn to chuckle next week, when St. Bride"s has its holiday," said Janie. "You"ll feel rather blue then."
"No, I shan"t--not if we"ve had our fun first. I shall turn philosophical, and say: "You can"t eat your cake and have it", and "Every dog has his day", or any other little plat.i.tude I can think of.
In the meantime, it"s our day, and I"m glad to see it"s a particularly fine one."
At precisely nine o"clock, just when the rest of the Chessingtonians were filing into cla.s.ses, the Chaddites were a.s.sembled in the quadrangle, and at a signal from Miss Maitland started off, two and two, to walk to Dunscar, where they were to catch the steamer to Avonmouth, the nearest point for Baldurstone. Everything seemed delightful--the brisk march in the fresh morning air, the bright sunshine, the glinting, sparkling sea, the foam churned up by the steamer"s revolving screw, the cries of the seagulls, and the steady motion of the vessel as she headed out of the bay. The breeze in the Channel was exhilarating, and so cool as to make the girls appreciate Miss Maitland"s wisdom in having insisted upon all bringing wraps.
"I thought it seemed as foolish as carrying one"s winter fur and m.u.f.f on a broiling day like this," commented Lettice, "but I really think I should have been cold without my coat. It"s marvellous what an enormous difference there is when you get well away from land."
Lunch was taken on the steamer, and they did not arrive at Avonmouth until half-past one. They were landed in small boats, for there was no pier, and vessels of any considerable size could not cross the harbour bar. Miss Maitland counted up her forty pupils as they stood on the jetty--a precaution that seemed more of a formality than a necessity, as everyone had taken good care not to be left behind.
"We have exactly three and a half hours here," she said. "The steamer will be back at five o"clock. That gives us plenty of time to walk to the Abbey, and enjoy the ruins. I have ordered tea to be ready for us as soon as we return on board. We shall be very hungry by then, I"m afraid, but there is nowhere to buy refreshments in this tiny place."
Avonmouth was, indeed, only a little fishing village, composed of an irregular row of cottages, huddled together on the beach, and a small, not-too-clean inn, which looked as if it would be quite incapable of providing even seats for a party of forty-three, to say nothing of cups and saucers.
"We"re such an army!" said Vivian. "If we were to have tea here we should clear the whole place of provisions. I don"t suppose there"d be enough milk and bread and b.u.t.ter to go round."
"Couldn"t they have been ordered beforehand?" asked Lettice, who had a leaning towards picnic meals. "We might have sat on the gra.s.s outside the inn."
"Yes, no doubt. But suppose the day had been wet and we hadn"t come, then all the things would have been wasted. A steamer is generally prepared to cater for any number of people."
St. Kolgan"s Abbey stood about two miles from the village, on a headland overlooking the sea. It was a steady toil uphill the whole way, but the glorious view at the top was ample reward for the hot climb between high walls. The beautiful old ruin faced the Channel, and commanded a wide prospect of blue waves, flecked here and there with little, foamy crests.
"I wonder if that"s the coast of Ireland, on the other side?" remarked Honor, shading her eyes with her hand to gaze over the dancing water.
"I"m afraid the wish is father to the thought," said Ruth Latimer. "I don"t honestly see anything that can possibly be construed into a distant coast line, and I"ve about as long sight as anybody in the school. Don"t you want to come and listen to Miss Maitland? She"s going to tell us a story about St. Kolgan, who founded this place."