Part 19 (1/2)
”Don't be a little fool, Esther! A tiny fly has just flown into my eye--poor little thing! He hurts me and does himself no good.”
”Let me see, Debby,” said Esther. ”Perhaps I shall be in time to save him.”
”No, don't trouble.”
”Don't be so cruel, Debby. You're as bad as Solomon, who pulls off flies' wings to see if they can fly without them.”
”He's dead now. Go on with 'Lady Ann's Rival;' we've been wasting the whole afternoon talking. Take my advice, Esther, and don't stuff your head with ideas about young men. You're too young. Now, dear, I'm ready.
Go on.”
”Where was I? Oh yes. 'Lord Eversmonde folded the fair young form to his manly bosom and pressed kiss after kiss upon her ripe young lips, which responded pa.s.sionately to his own. At last she recovered herself and cried reproachfully, Oh Sigismund, why do you persist in coming here, when the Duke forbids it?' Oh, do you know, Debby, father said the other day I oughtn't to come here?”
”Oh no, you must,” cried Debby impulsively. ”I couldn't part with you now.”
”Father says people say you are not good,” said Esther candidly.
Debby breathed painfully. ”Well!” she whispered.
”But I said people were liars. You _are_ good!”
”Oh, Esther, Esther!” sobbed Debby, kissing the earnest little face with a vehemence that surprised the child.
”I think father only said that,” Esther went on, ”because he fancies I neglect Sarah and Isaac when he's at _Shool_ and they quarrel so about their birthdays when they're together. But they don't slap one another hard. I'll tell you what! Suppose I bring Sarah down here!”
”Well, but won't she cry and be miserable here, if you read, and with no Isaac to play with?”
”Oh no,” said Esther confidently. ”She'll keep Bobby company.”
Bobby took kindly to little Sarah also. He knew no other dogs and in such circ.u.mstances a sensible animal falls back on human beings. He had first met Debby herself quite casually and the two lonely beings took to each other. Before that meeting Dutch Debby was subject to wild temptations. Once she half starved herself and put aside ninepence a week for almost three months and purchased one-eighth of a lottery ticket from Sugarman the _Shadchan_, who recognized her existence for the occasion. The fortune did not come off.
Debby saw less and less of Esther as the months crept on again towards winter, for the little girl feared her hostess might feel constrained to offer her food, and the children required more soothing. Esther would say very little about her home life, though Debby got to know a great deal about her school-mates and her teacher.
One summer evening after Esther had pa.s.sed into the hands of Miss Miriam Hyams she came to Dutch Debby with a grave face and said: ”Oh, Debby.
Miss Hyams is not a heroine.”
”No?” said Debby, amused. ”You were so charmed with her at first.”
”Yes, she is very pretty and her hats are lovely. But she is not a heroine.”
”Why, what's happened?”
”You know what lovely weather it's been all day?”
”Yes.”
”Well, this morning all in the middle of the Scripture lesson, she said to us, 'What a pity, girls, we've got to stay cooped up here this bright weather'--you know she chats to us so nicely--'in some schools they have half-holidays on Wednesday afternoons in the summer. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have them and be out in the suns.h.i.+ne in Victoria Park?'
'Hoo, yes, teacher, wouldn't that be jolly?' we all cried. Then teacher said: 'Well, why not ask the Head Mistress for a holiday this afternoon? You're the highest standard in the school--I dare say if you ask for it, the whole school will get a holiday. Who will be spokes-woman?' Then all the girls said I must be because I was the first girl in the cla.s.s and sounded all my h's, and when the Head Mistress came into the room I up and curtseyed and asked her if we could have a holiday this afternoon on account of the beautiful suns.h.i.+ne. Then the Head Mistress put on her eye-gla.s.ses and her face grew black and the suns.h.i.+ne seemed to go out of the room. And she said 'What! After all the holidays we have here, a month at New Year and a fortnight at Pa.s.sover, and all the fast-days! I am surprised that you girls should be so lazy and idle and ask for more. Why don't you take example by your teacher?
Look at Miss Hyams.” We all looked at Miss Hyams, but she was looking for some papers in her desk. 'Look how Miss Hyams works!' said the Head Mistress. '_She_ never grumbles, _she_ never asks for a holiday!' We all looked again at Miss Hyams, but she hadn't yet found the papers. There was an awful silence; you could have heard a pin drop. There wasn't a single cough or rustle of a dress. Then the Head Mistress turned to me and she said: 'And you, Esther Ansell, whom I always thought so highly of, I'm surprised at your being the ringleader in such a disgraceful request. You ought to know better. I shall bear it in mind, Esther Ansell.' With that she sailed out, stiff and straight as a poker, and the door closed behind her with a bang.”