Part 3 (1/2)

CHAPTER III.

QUEER VISITORS.

”... they are what their birth And breeding suffer them to be-- Wild outcasts of society.”

_Gypsies_--WORDSWORTH.

Miss Mitten, the young governess, had not yet come when the children got to the nursery, though all was in order for her--the table cleared, the three chairs set round it ready. There was nothing to do but to get out the books and slates. Duke went to the window and stood there staring out silently; Pamela, who always liked to be busy, dragged forward a chair, meaning to climb on to it so as to reach up to the high shelf where the lesson things were kept. But, as she drew out the chair, something that had been hidden from view in a corner near which stood a small side-table caught her eye. She let go the chair, stooping down to examine this something, and in a moment a cry escaped her.

”Bruvver! oh, bruvver,” she exclaimed, ”just see! How can it have got brokened?” and she held up the bowl--or what had been the bowl rather--out of which Toby had gobbled up his unexpected breakfast,--broken, hopelessly broken, into several pieces!

In an instant Duke was beside her, and together they set to work to examine the damage, as if, alas! any examining could have made it better. It was far past mending, for, besides the two or three large pieces Pamela had seized, there lay on the ground a ma.s.s of smaller fragments, down to mere crumbs of china.

”_Toby_ couldn't have done it, could he?” said Pamela. ”He stayed in here when us went down to prayers.”

”No, oh no! _Toby_ couldn't have broken it,” said Duke; ”and even if he had, it would not have been his fault. He didn't put it down on the floor. It was near here he ate the bread and milk up--perhaps he rolled the bowl behind the table.”

”And Biddy pushed the table against it when she was taking away the things. Yes, that must have been it,” said Pamela. ”Biddy couldn't have noticed there was only one bowl on the tray.”

”Anyway she didn't look for it,” said Duke. ”She is very careless; Nurse often says so.”

”But us can't put the blame on her,” said Pamela. ”Us _must_ tell, Duke.”

Duke had the pieces of china in his hand, and was carefully considering them.

”Will Grandmamma be vexed, do you think, sister?”

”Grandmamma doesn't like things being brokened,” said Pamela. ”And Nurse said one day these bowls was very good china.”

”And Grandmamma will ask all about how it was broken,” added Duke dolefully; ”and then us'll have to tell about giving Toby our bread and milk, and oh, sister, I said the bowls was _quite_ empty, to make her think _us_ had emptied them!”

”I'm afraid Grandmamma will fink us is _very_ naughty,” agreed Pamela; ”she'll fink us don't listen to that--that speaking inside us that she was telling us about,--for it's quite true, bruvver; I felt it was quite true when she was talking. It _does_ speak. I heard it this morning when us was planning about not telling. Only I didn't listen,” and the tears rolled slowly down the little girl's face.

”I heard it too, sister. Yes, it's quite true,” said Duke, beginning to sob. ”But I can't go and tell Grandmamma now. There's such a great deal to tell; it isn't only about Toby. It's about having said the bowls was empty,” and Duke's sobs redoubled. ”Supposing--supposing, sister, us didn't tell Grandmamma just this time, and us would never, _never_ not listen to that speaking inside us again?”

Pamela hesitated. She stood quite quite still, her eyes gazing before her, but as if seeing nothing--she seemed to be listening.

”Bruvver,” she said at last, ”I can't tell you yet. I must fink. But I'm _almost_ sure it's speaking now. I'm almost sure it's saying us must tell.”

”Oh don't, don't, Pamela,” cried poor Duke; ”you mustn't say that. For I can't--I am sure I can't--tell Grandmamma. And you won't tell without me knowing, will you, sister?”

”For sure not,” replied Pamela indignantly. ”Us must do it togevver like always. But there's Miss Mitten coming--I hear her. Wait till after she's gone, bruvver, and then I'll tell you what I've been finking.”

With this Duke was obliged to content himself. But he and Pamela took care to put away in a shelf of the toy cupboard, where they would not be seen, the remains of the broken bowl.

Miss Mitten had two very quiet and subdued little pupils that morning.

She noticed Duke's red eyes, but, not being on very intimate terms with the children, for she was rather a formal young person, she said nothing about them. Only when lessons were quite finished she told her pupils they might tell their Grandmamma that they had been very good and attentive.

”Your good Grandmamma will be pleased to hear this,” she said, ”for she must be troubled about poor Nurse's being ill. I hope you will do your best to give her no trouble you can possibly avoid,” and with these words Miss Mitten took her leave.