"I promise, of course. What can be the matter with you, Maggie? You don"t look a bit yourself."
Maggie did not at once reply. "I shall have a great deal to do this term," she said after a pause; "and my party in the school won"t be so weak after all. There"ll be Rosamond Dacre----"
"I didn"t very much like Rosamond," said Merry, speaking in a low voice.
"Oh, she is excellent fun when you know her," said Maggie; "but as she won"t be on your side, nor in your form, you are not likely to have much to do with her. Then Matty and Clara are first-rate, and they"re mine too; and Kathleen O"Donnell is a perfect brick; and Janet Burns, she"s as strong as they make "em. Of course the Tristrams will belong to me. Let me see: Tristrams, two; Rosamond, three; Kathleen, four; Matty and Clara, six; Janet, seven. Ah, well, I am quite in the minority. Aneta carries off eleven girls as her share."
"Don"t be sad about it, Maggie. Surely we might all be one in the school! Why should there be parties?" said Merry.
"Little you know, Merry, how impossible school-life would be without parties, and great friends, and medium friends, and favorites, and enemies. Why, Merry, school is a little world, and the world is made up of elements such as these."
"Tell me," said Merry after a pause, "what you did after you left us."
Maggie colored. "Oh, stayed for a time in that horrid Shepherd"s Bush."
"In those fusty, musty lodgings?" said Merry.
"Yes, and they were fusty, musty."
"Oh dear! I am sorry for you. We had such a glorious time!"
"I know it, dear; but glorious times don"t come to girls like me."
"Why, are you so very, very sad, Maggie? Oh, now I know--of course I know. I didn"t like to write to you about it, for it seemed to me quite--you will forgive me, won"t you?--quite dreadful that your mother should have married again. Is she married yet, Maggie?"
Maggie nodded.
"Oh, I can sympathize with you, dear Maggie! It must be so fearful to have a stepfather!"
"It is," said Maggie.
"Is he a nice man, Maggie? Or would you rather I didn"t speak of him?"
"No; you may speak of him if you like. He is a rich man--he is very rich."
"I am glad of that at any rate," said Merry. "You will never be in fusty, musty lodgings any more."
"Oh no, never! My mother"s husband--I cannot speak of him as my stepfather--will see to that."
"What is his name?"
Maggie hesitated. Not for the world would she have let any of her schoolfellows know the real position; but she could not very well conceal her stepfather"s name.
"Martin," she said.
"Spelt with a "y"? We know some awfully nice Martyns. They live about twenty miles away from Meredith Manor. I wonder if your Mr. Martyn is related to them."
"Oh, very likely," said Maggie.
"Then perhaps you will go to stay with them--your mother, and your--your mother"s husband, and you too; and we"ll all meet. They live at a place-called The Meadows. It isn"t as old or as beautiful as our Manor, but it"s a sweet place, and the girls are so nice you"ll be sure to like them."
"Yes, I dare say I shall," said Maggie, who didn"t care to contradict Merry"s innocent ideas with regard to her mother"s marriage.
"Well, I am glad," said Merry, "that your dear mother has married a rich gentleman. Has he a country place of his own?"
"Of course he has," said Maggie, who felt that she could at least utter these words with truth.
"And is it far, far from London, or quite in the country?"
"It is," said Maggie, "in--in the Norwood direction."
This remark made no impression whatever on Merry, who had not the least idea where the Norwood direction was. But by-and-by, when she parted from Maggie and joined her sister and Aneta, she said, "I have a piece of rather good news to tell about dear Maggie Howland. She won"t be poor any more."
"That is a word we never discuss at school," said Aneta.
"Well, we needn"t after to-night," said Merry with a slight touch of irritation in her manner. "But although I haven"t the faintest idea what poverty means, I think poor Maggie knows a good deal about it.
Well, she won"t have anything to do with it in future, for her mother has just married again."
"Oh!" said Aneta, with a show of interest.
"Yes; and a very nice gentleman he must be. He is a cousin of the Martyns of The Meadows. You know how you liked them when we spent a day there during these holidays--didn"t you, Aneta?"
"Yes," said Aneta, "most charming people. I felt quite sorry that the Martyn girls were too old for school. I wonder they didn"t mention the fact of their cousin being about to marry Mrs. Howland; for you know we were talking of Maggie to them, or at least you were, Merry."
"Of course I was," said Merry in a determined voice. "I am very, very fond of Maggie Howland."
"Perhaps we had better go to bed now," said Aneta. "I may as well tell you, girls, that we have to get up at half-past six. Lucy comes to us and wakes us at that hour, and we are expected to be downstairs at seven. Lucy will tell you, too, girls, that it is expected of us all that we shall keep our rooms in perfect order. Now, shall we say good-night?"
The Cardews kissed their cousin and went to their own pleasant room.
As soon as they were there Merry said, "Cicely, I am glad about poor Maggie."
"And so am I," said Cicely.
"When we write home we must be sure to mention to mother about Mr.
Martyn. I don"t think dear Maggie knew anything about The Meadows; so perhaps, after all, he is a somewhat distant cousin; but it is such a comfort to know that he is rich and a gentleman."
"Yes," said Cicely. Then she added, "I don"t think Aneta wants you to make too great a friend of Maggie Howland."
"Oh, nonsense!" said Merry, coloring slightly. "I am never going to give Maggie up, for I love her dearly."
"Of course," said Cicely, "it would be very mean to give her up; but you and I, as Aneta"s cousins, must be on her side in the school. What I am afraid of is that Maggie will try to induce you to join her set."
"That shows how little you know her," said Merry, roused to the defensive. "She explained everything to me this afternoon, and said that I certainly must belong to Aneta."
"Did she? Well, I call that splendid," said Cicely.