protested Honor.
The sun was already so high that its bright rays, reflected in a little pool near their feet, warned the pair that it was no longer safe to delay their parting.
"It"s a quarter to six!" exclaimed Dermot, looking at his watch. "I must absolutely fly. I"ll run all the way to Dunscar. I hope you"ll get back quite safely into the College. You were a perfect trump to come.
Good-bye; I"m off!"
Honor stood watching him until he had disappeared round the rocks at the end of the cove, then half-regretfully she climbed up the steps again on to the headland. She returned to St. Chad"s the same way as she had come, walking across the pasture and climbing the fence of the cricket ground. She found the French window in the dressing-room still ajar, and bolted it on the inside before she went upstairs. All was still quite quiet in the hall and on the landing, and she was able to regain her room without any alarms.
Janie looked up nervously as the door opened. She had been lying awake, suffering far more anxiety on her friend"s behalf than Honor had experienced for herself, and she gave a sigh of intense relief on hearing that the interview was successfully accomplished.
"I"ve been thinking it over," she said, "and I really believe it would have been much the best to go straight to Miss Maitland and tell her about it. She"s very kind and sympathetic; perhaps she would have let you meet Dermot, and then you could have gone openly, and without all this dreadful stealing up and down stairs."
"I daren"t risk it," replied Honor. "Suppose she had said "No"? I should have been far worse off than if I hadn"t asked. Besides which, she might have insisted upon telling Dr. Winterton. That"s quite within the bounds of possibility; and then I should have given poor old Dermot away."
"On the whole, wouldn"t it be more satisfactory for Dr. Winterton to know?"
"Janie! How can you suggest such a thing?"
"Well, if, as you say, this man Blake is a scamp, and has really sold the dog, it ought to be enquired into. If it were all exposed, perhaps he would be obliged to leave Dunscar and go to some other place, and that would be much better for the boys at the Grange."
"But in the meantime Dermot would be the scapegoat."
"I don"t believe Dr. Winterton would expel him, if he went and owned up himself. He"d be rather angry, I dare say, but then the thing would be over, and there"d be no more fear of being found out. If Blake is such a dishonest man, he may send in the same bill again."
"Dermot said he should make him give a receipt for the money. No, Janie! You don"t quite grasp the case. You"ve no brothers of your own, so how can you understand boys?"
"Then couldn"t you have asked your father?" pleaded Janie desperately.
"It seems--please don"t be offended!--not quite straight to be suppressing the whole affair like this."
"You don"t know my father, or you wouldn"t suggest it. He can be very stern, particularly with the boys. They always say he"s more of a martinet at home than ever he was in the Army. Yes, I know you tell your mother everything, but mothers are much more lenient than fathers.
I"d tell mine, if she weren"t ill. It"s no use arguing, Janie! I"m sorry if it isn"t all on the square, but Dermot was in a very tight place, and I felt bound to help him, even if I had to do something rather wrong."
CHAPTER XV
Sent to Coventry
Though Honor had seen n.o.body, either in leaving or re-entering St.
Chad"s, her morning adventure had not been so entirely un.o.bserved as she imagined. Vivian Holmes, who was a light sleeper, had awakened by the unfortunate creak that had been made by the stairs. Always mindful of her duties as monitress, she had jumped up and cautiously opened her door, and was just in time to peep over the banisters and catch a glimpse of Honor"s back disappearing down the hall. She hurriedly returned to put on her dressing-gown and bedroom slippers, then followed as rapidly as she could. When she arrived downstairs, she found the French window leading into the garden open; but Honor was well round the corner, and running fast towards the cricket field.
Vivian was very much disturbed and distressed. She scarcely knew what she ought to do. She ventured a little way into the grounds, but not a trace of any truant was to be seen, so she thought it useless to search far. One of the girls must have gone out; on that point she was absolutely certain.
"I"m almost positive it was Honor Fitzgerald," she said to herself. "It looked exactly like her, although I only saw her back for a moment."
Vivian was extremely conscientious, and felt personally responsible for all under her charge at St. Chad"s. She was apt to err on the side of severity, but she honestly strove to do her duty, and to see that the rules were duly kept. In this case, however, she was in a difficulty.
There was no rule to prevent a girl getting up early and going into the garden, because it had never occurred to Miss Maitland that anyone would wish to rise before the usual dressing-bell. Vivian knew that Honor had been accustomed to much liberty in her Irish home, and that she greatly chafed against the constraints of school life. What was more probable than that, waking at dawn, she had longed for a breath of the cool morning air, and was taking a stroll round the grounds?
"She may have a headache, or have slept badly," thought the monitress, with an endeavour to be charitable. "These hot nights are very trying, even with both one"s bedroom windows wide open."
After all, it was not a very desperate offence, and there seemed no need to report it to Miss Maitland. Vivian determined to listen for Honor"s footsteps and catch her on the stairs as she came back, or, at any rate, to tax her with the affair later during the day, and point out that in future such early rambles could not be allowed. In the meantime, she went back to bed, and, in spite of her resolution to intercept the returning wanderer, fell asleep again, and heard nothing until the bell rang at a quarter to seven. In the busy whirl of occupations that followed, there was no opportunity for any private conversation with Honor, either before or after morning school; and immediately dinner was over, all the Chaddites rushed off to watch a croquet tournament between mistresses and monitresses, in which Vivian herself was taking part. The day, therefore, pa.s.sed exactly as usual, and it was not until after tea, when the girls were just going to preparation, that anything particular occurred.
At precisely half-past four o"clock Janie Henderson chanced to be walking down the pa.s.sage when she saw the door of Miss Maitland"s study suddenly open, and Vivian Holmes come out, looking so greatly agitated and upset that Janie stopped in amazement.
"Why, what"s the matter?" she exclaimed, for she was on sufficiently friendly terms with the monitress to venture the enquiry.
"A great deal"s the matter!" replied Vivian. "The worst thing that has ever happened at St. Chad"s, or in the whole College. I"d give all I possess in the world to have nothing to do with it! I wish I weren"t monitress! Where"s Honor Fitzgerald? I have to find her."
"She"s practising," said Janie. "Shall I fetch her?"
"Look here!" returned Vivian. "Honor sleeps in your room; did you hear her get up very early this morning and go out?"
Janie"s tell-tale face betrayed her at once, though she would not have attempted to deny the fact, in any case.
"Then I"m sorry, but you"ll have to come to Miss Maitland too," said Vivian. "It"s a hateful business altogether, and after our splendid record at St. Chad"s, and the way we have all tried so hard to keep up the standard, it hurts me more than I can tell you. I can"t bear to get Honor Fitzgerald into trouble! I simply couldn"t have believed it of her, though I"m afraid it"s only too plain. She"s been very naughty sometimes, but she always seemed extremely straightforward, and I never dreamt she could be capable of an affair like this. We shall have to tell the exact truth, Janie; there"s nothing else for it, and she must clear herself as best she can. I"m afraid she"s bound to be expelled.
It"s a terrible disgrace to the house. Yes, go and fetch her now; the sooner we get it over the better."
Janie walked down the pa.s.sage in the utmost perplexity. She could not account for Vivian"s excited diatribe. What had Honor done to bring disgrace upon St. Chad"s? It was, of course, a very irregular thing to run away at daybreak to meet her brother, but it was no worse than many of her other sc.r.a.pes, and did not seem an offence of sufficient gravity to warrant such an extreme measure as expulsion from the school.
"Vivian is always hard on Honor," thought Janie. "Perhaps, after all, she"s making an unnecessary fuss, and it won"t turn out to be so dreadful as she says. Tell the truth! Of course I shall do so; Vivian needn"t remind me of that!"
Janie called her friend as quietly as possible from the piano. There were several other girls in the room, and she did not wish them to know anything about the affair. She only whispered therefore that Honor was wanted in Miss Maitland"s study at once, and did not add any explanation, thinking it better not to mention Vivian"s remarks, as she had not understood them herself. Honor put her music away calmly enough, and closed the piano. She knew that the summons must have reference to her morning adventure, and antic.i.p.ated a scolding; but it was not the first she had received at St. Chad"s, and she thought the punishment would probably not exceed two hundred lines, or, perhaps, a few pages of poetry to be learnt by heart.
The two girls hurried to the study, and, after knocking at the door, entered in response to Miss Maitland"s "Come in". The house-mistress was seated at her writing-table, talking to Vivian, and turned round at their approach. She looked worried, and had a sterner expression on her face than they had ever seen there before.
"Honor Fitzgerald," she began, "I have sent for you because a very unpleasant thing has occurred, which I hope you may be able to explain to me. Last evening I was sitting writing at this table, and laid a sovereign down just at this corner. I was called away, and left the room for about ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour. When I returned, I found to my astonishment that the money was gone. I searched everywhere, and it had certainly not fallen on to the floor, nor was it amongst my papers; so I can only conclude that someone must have come in and taken it. I have made careful enquiries as to who was seen near my study last night, and I hear that you climbed up the lime tree and entered the room by the window shortly before nine o"clock. Is that so?"
"Yes, Miss Maitland," replied Honor, without any hesitation. "I did come in, but I only stayed a minute. I didn"t go near the table, and I didn"t see the sovereign. If I had, I certainly shouldn"t have touched it."
Miss Maitland sighed.
"I was afraid you would say that, Honor! My dear child, it would be better to tell me the truth, and confess at once. We have the clearest proof that you, and only you, must have taken it, so it is no use denying it any more."
"I should like to know what proof you mean, Miss Maitland?" said Honor, in a strained voice.
"This letter," replied the mistress, producing Dermot"s note. "It was found on your bedroom floor this morning by the upper housemaid, who brought it at once to me. It was given you, I find, by one of the under servants, who much regrets now that she was persuaded to deliver it secretly. It shows me, of course, your motive for taking the money."
"But I did not take it!" said Honor. "I said before that I didn"t see it, and I mean it."
For answer Miss Maitland turned to Janie.
"Janie Henderson, did Honor Fitzgerald leave her bedroom before five o"clock this morning?"
Poor Janie whispered, "Yes", though the word almost choked her. That she, of all people, must be a witness against her friend seemed too cruel to be endured.
"Did Honor mention to you where she was going?"
"To the bathing cove."