Part 4 (1/2)

said Margaret, putting her arms round her friend's neck. ”And whatever I am queen over, you must share my queendom, Janet. You know how fond I am of you--how I want you to stay with me always and be my friend.”

”I shall always be your friend--always, to the last day of my life!”

said Janetta, with fervor. The two made a pretty picture, reflected in the long mirror; the tall, fair Margaret, still in her soft white silk frock, with her arm round the smaller figure of the dark girl whose curly ma.s.ses of hair half covered her pink cotton dressing-gown, and whose brown face was upturned so lovingly to her friend's.

”And I am sure it will be good for you to stay with me,” said Margaret, answering an unspoken objection in her mind.

”Good for me? It is delicious--it is lovely!” cried Janetta, rapturously. ”I have never had anything so nice in my whole life. Dear Margaret, you are so good and so kind--if there were only anything that I could do for you in return! Perhaps some day I shall have the chance, and if ever I have--_then_ you shall see whether I am true to my friend or not!”

Margaret kissed her, with a little smile at Janetta's enthusiasm, which was so far different from the modes of expression customary at Helmsley Court, as to be almost amusing.

CHAPTER IV.

ON THE ROAD.

Miss Polehampton had, of course, written to Mr. and Mrs. Colwyn when she made up her mind that Janetta was to be removed from school; and two or three letters had been interchanged before that eventful day on which Margaret declared that if Janetta went she should go too. Margaret had been purposely kept in the dark until almost the last moment, for Miss Polehampton did not in the least wish to make a scandal, and annoyed as she was by Miss Adair's avowed preference for Janetta, she had arranged a neat little plan by which Miss Colwyn was to go away ”for change of air,” and be transferred to a school at Worthing kept by a relation of her own at the beginning of the following term. These plans had been upset by a foolish and ill-judged letter from Mrs. Colwyn to her stepdaughter, which Janetta had not been able to keep from Margaret's eyes. This letter was full of reproaches to Janetta for giving so much trouble to her friends; ”for, of course,” Mrs. Colwyn wrote, ”Miss Polehampton's concern for your health is all a blind in order to get you away: and if it hadn't been for Miss Adair taking you up, she would have been only too glad to keep you. But knowing Miss Adair's position, she sees very clearly that it isn't fit for you to be friends with her, and so she wants to send you away.”

This was in the main true, but Janetta, in the blithe confidence of youth, would never have discovered it but for that letter. Together she and Margaret consulted over it, for when Margaret saw Janetta crying, she almost forced the letter from her hand; and then it was that Miss Adair vindicated her claim to social superiority. She went straight to Miss Polehampton and demanded that Janetta should remain; and when the schoolmistress refused to alter her decision, she calmly replied that in that case _she_ should go home too. Miss Polehampton was an obstinate woman, and would not concede the point; and Lady Caroline, on learning the state of affairs, at once perceived that it was impossible to leave Margaret at the school where open warfare had been declared. She accordingly brought both girls away with her, arranging to send Janetta to her own home next morning.

”You will stay to luncheon, dear, and I will drive you over to Beaminster at three o'clock,” she said to Janetta at breakfast. ”No doubt you are anxious to see your own people.”

Janetta looked as if she might find it difficult to reply, but Margaret interposed a remark--as usual at the right moment.

”We will practice our duets this morning--if Janetta likes, that is; and we can have a walk in the garden too. Shall we have the landau, mamma?”

”The victoria, I think, dear,” said Lady Caroline, placidly. ”Your father wants you to ride with him this afternoon, so I shall have the pleasure of Miss Colwyn's society in my drive.”

Margaret a.s.sented; but Janetta became suddenly aware, by a flash of keen feminine intuition, that Lady Caroline had some reason for wis.h.i.+ng to go with her alone, and that she had purposely made the arrangement that she spoke of. However, there was nothing to displease her in this, for Lady Caroline had been most kind and considerate to her, so far, and she was innocently disposed to believe in the cordiality and sincerity of every one who behaved with common civility.

So she spent a pleasant morning, singing with Margaret, loitering about the garden with Mr. Adair, while Margaret and Sir Philip gathered roses, and enjoying to the full all the sweet influences of peace, refinement, and prosperity by which she was surrounded.

Margaret left her in the afternoon with rather a hasty kiss, and an a.s.surance that she would see her again at dinner. Janetta tried to remind her that by that time she would have left the Court, but Margaret did not or would not hear. The tears came into the girl's eyes as her friend disappeared.

”Never mind, dear,” said Lady Caroline, who was observing her closely, ”Margaret has forgotten at what hour you were going and I would not remind her--it would spoil her pleasure in her ride. We will arrange for you to come to us another day when you have seen your friends at home.”

”Thank you,” said Janetta. ”It was only that she did not seem to remember that I was going--I had meant to say good-bye.”

”Exactly. She thinks that I am going to bring you back this afternoon.

We will talk about it as we go, dear. Suppose you were to put on your hat now. The carriage will be here in ten minutes.”

Janetta prepared for her departure in a somewhat bewildered spirit. She did not know precisely what Lady Caroline meant. She even felt a little nervous as she took her place in the victoria and cast a last look at the stately house in which she had spent some nineteen or twenty pleasant hours. It was Lady Caroline who spoke first.

”We shall miss your singing to-night,” she said, amiably. ”Mr. Adair was looking forward to some more duets. Another time, perhaps----”

”I am always pleased to sing,” said Janetta, brightening at this address.

”Yes--ye--es,” said Lady Caroline, with a doubtful little drawl. ”No doubt: one always likes to do what one can do so well; but--I confess I am not so musical as my husband or my daughter. I must explain why dear Margaret did not say good bye to you, Miss Colwyn. I allowed her to remain in the belief that she was to see you again to-night, in order that she might not be depressed during her ride by the thought of parting with you. It is always my principle to make the lives of those dear to me as happy as possible,” said Margaret's mother, piously.

”And if Margaret had been depressed during her ride, Mr. Adair and Sir Philip might have suffered some depression also, and that would be a great pity.”