Part 45 (1/2)

CHAPTER XXI

A RAY OF HOPE

A few minutes later the Speciality girls had left Mrs. Haddo's room.

There were to be no lessons that day; therefore they could spend their time as they liked best. But an enforced holiday of this kind was no pleasure to any of them.

Martha said at once that she was going to seek the twins. ”I have left them in my room,” she said. ”They hardly slept all night. I never saw such dear, affectionate little creatures. They are absolutely broken-hearted. I promised to come to them as soon as I could.”

”Have you asked them to trust you--to treat you as a true friend?” asked f.a.n.n.y Crawford.

”I have, f.a.n.n.y; and the strange thing is, that although beyond doubt they know pretty nearly as much about Betty's secret and about the lost packet as she does herself, poor child, they are just as reticent with regard to it. They will not tell. Nothing will induce them to betray Betty. Over and over again I have implored of them, for the sake of her life, to take me into their confidence; but I might as well have spoken to adamant. They will not do it.”

”They have exactly the same stubborn nature,” said f.a.n.n.y.

The other girls looked reproachfully at her.

Then Olive said, ”You have never liked your cousins, f.a.n.n.y; and it does pain us all that you should speak against them at a moment like the present.”

”Then I will go away,” said f.a.n.n.y. ”I can see quite well that my presence is uncongenial to you all. I will find my own amus.e.m.e.nts. But I may as well state that if I am to be tortured and looked down on in the school, I shall write to Aunt Amelia and ask her to take me in until father writes to Mrs. Haddo about me. You must admit, all of you, that it has been a miserable time for me since the Vivians came to the school.”

”You have made it miserable yourself, f.a.n.n.y,” was Susie's retort.

Then f.a.n.n.y got up and went away. A moment later she was joined by Martha West.

”f.a.n.n.y, dear f.a.n.n.y,” said Martha, ”won't you tell me what is changing you so completely?”

”There is nothing changing me,” said f.a.n.n.y in some alarm. ”What do you mean, Martha?”

”Oh, but you look so changed! You are not a bit what you used to be--so jolly, so bright, so--so very pretty. Now you have a careworn, anxious expression. I don't understand you in the very least.”

”And I don't want you to,” said f.a.n.n.y. ”You are all bewitched with regard to that tiresome girl; even I, your old and tried friend, have no chance against her influence. When I tell you I know her far better than any of you can possibly do, you don't believe me. You suspect me of harboring unkind and jealous thoughts against her; as if I, f.a.n.n.y Crawford, could be jealous of a n.o.body like Betty Vivian!”

”f.a.n.n.y, you know perfectly well that Betty will never be a n.o.body. There is something in her which raises her altogether above the low standard to which you a.s.sign her. Oh, f.a.n.n.y, what is the matter with you?”

”Please leave me alone, Martha. If you had spent the wretched night I have spent you might look tired and worn out too. I was turned out of my bedroom, to begin with, because Sister Helen required it.”

”Well, surely there was no hards.h.i.+p in that?” said Martha. ”I, for instance, spent the night gladly with dear little Sylvia and Hester; we all had a room together in the lower school. Do you think I grumbled?”

”Oh, of course you are a saint!” said f.a.n.n.y with a sneer.

”I am not, but I think I am human; and just at present, for some extraordinary reason, you are not.”

”Well, you haven't heard the history of my woes. I had to share Miss Symes's room with her.”

”St. Cecilia's delightful room! Surely that was no great hards.h.i.+p?”

”Wait until you hear. St. Cecilia was quite kind, as she always is; and I was told that I could have a room to myself to-night. I found, to begin with, however, that most of the clothes I wanted had been left behind in my own room. Still, I made no complaint; although, of course, it was not comfortable, particularly as Miss Symes intended to sit up in order to see the doctors. But as I was preparing to get into bed, those twins--those horrid girls that you make such a fuss about, Martha--rushed into the room and put an awful spider into the center of my bed, and when I tried to get rid of it, it rushed towards me. Then I screamed out, and Susie and Olive came in. But we couldn't catch the spider nor find it anywhere. You don't suppose I was likely to go to bed with _that_ thing in the room? The fire went nearly out. I was hungry, sleepy, cold. I a.s.sure you I have my own share of misery. Then Miss Symes came in and ordered me to bed. I went, but hardly slept a wink.

And now you expect me to be as cheerful and bright and busy as a bee this morning!”