A World of Girls: The Story of a School Page 5

an hour, and that all the youngladies would be expected to assemble in the chapel at seven o'clockprecisely, she left the room.

  Hester pulled her pretty little gold watch from under her pillow, andsaw with a sigh that it was now half-past six.

  "What odious hours they keep in this horrid place!" she said to herself."Well, well, I always did know that school would be unendurable."

  She waited for five minutes before she got up, and then she dressedherself languidly, and, if the truth must be told, in a very untidyfashion. She managed to be dressed by the time the second gong sounded,but she had only one moment to give to her private prayers. Shereflected, however, that this did not greatly matter as she was goingdown to prayers immediately in the chapel.

  The service in the chapel the night before had impressed her more deeplythan she cared to own, and she followed her companions downstairs with acertain feeling of pleasure at the thought of again seeing Mr Everardand Mrs Willis. She wondered if they would take much notice of herthis morning, and she thought it just possible that Mr Everard, who hadlooked at her so compassionately the night before, might be induced, forthe sake of his old friendship with her mother, to take her home withhim to spend the day. She thought she would rather like to spend a daywith Mr Everard, and she fancied he was the sort of person who wouldinfluence her and help her to be good. Hester fancied that if some veryinteresting and quite out of the common person took her in hand, shemight be formed into something extremely noble--noble enough even toforgive Annie Forest.

  The girls all filed into the chapel, which was lighted as brightly andcheerily as the night before; but Hester found herself placed on a benchfar down in the building. She was no longer in the place of honour byMrs Willis's side. She was one of a number, and no one lookedparticularly at her or noticed her in any way. A shy young curate readthe morning prayers; Mr Everard was not present, and Mrs Willis, whowas, walked out of the chapel when prayers were over without evenglancing in Hester's direction. This was bad enough for the poor littledreamer of dreams, but worse was to follow.

  Mrs Willis did not speak to Hester, but she did stop for an instantbeside Annie Forest. Hester saw her lay her white hand on the younggirl's shoulder and whisper for an instant in her ear. Annie's lovelygipsy face flushed a vivid crimson.

  "For your sake, darling," she whispered back; but Hester caught thewords, and was consumed by a fierce jealousy.

  The girls went into the school-room, where Mdlle. Perier gave a Frenchlesson to the upper class. Hester belonged to no class at present, andcould look around her, and have plenty of time to reflect on her ownmiseries, and particularly on what she now considered the favouritismshown by Mrs Willis.

  "Mr Everard at least will read through that girl," she said to herself;"he could not possibly endure any one so loud. Yes, I am sure that myonly friend at home, Cecilia Day, would call Annie very loud. I wonderMrs Willis can endure her. Mrs Willis seems so ladylike herself,but--Oh, I beg your pardon, what's the matter?"

  A very sharp voice had addressed itself to the idle Hester.

  "But, mademoiselle, you are doing nothing! This cannot for a moment bepermitted. Pardonnez-moi, you know not the French? Here is a littleeasy lesson. Study it, mademoiselle, and don't let your eyes wander amoment from the page."

  Hester favoured Mdlle. Perier with a look of lofty contempt, but shereceived the well-thumbed lesson-book in absolute silence.

  At eight o'clock came breakfast, which was nicely served, and was verygood and abundant. Hester was thoroughly hungry this morning, and didnot feel so shy as the night before. She found herself seated betweentwo strange girls, who talked to her a little and would have madethemselves friendly had she at all encouraged them to do so. Afterbreakfast came half an hour's recreation, when, the weather being verybad, the girls again assembled in the cosy play-room. Hester lookedround eagerly for Cecil Temple, who greeted her with a kind smile, butdid not ask her into her inclosure. Annie Forest was not present, andHester breathed a sigh of relief at her absence. The half-hour devotedto recreation proved rather dull to the newcomer. Hester could notunderstand her present world. To the girl who had been brought uppractically as an only child in the warm shelter of a home, the ways anddoings of school-girl life were an absolute enigma.

  Hester had no idea of unbending or of making herself agreeable. Thegirls voted her to one another stiff and tiresome, and quickly left herto her own devices. She looked longingly at Cecil Temple; but Cecil,who could never be knowingly unkind to any one, was seizing the preciousmoments to write a letter to her father, and Hester presently wandereddown the room and tried to take an interest in the little ones. Fromtwelve to fifteen quite little children were in the school, and Hesterwondered with a sort of vague half-pain if she might see any child amongthe group the least like Nan.

  "They will like to have me with them," she said to herself. "Poorlittle dots, they always like big girls to notice them, and didn't theymake a fuss about Miss Forest last night! Well, Nan is fond enough ofme, and little children find out so quickly what one is really like."

  Hester walked boldly into the group. The little dots were all as busyas bees, were not the least lonely, or the least shy, and very plainlygave the intruder to understand that they would prefer her room to hercompany. Hester was not proud with little children--she loved themdearly. Some of the smaller ones in question were beautiful littlecreatures, and her heart warmed to them for Nan's sake. She could notstoop to conciliate the older girls, but she could make an effort withthe babies. She knelt on the floor and took up a headless doll.

  "I know a little girl who had a doll like that," she said.

  Here she paused and several pairs of eyes were fixed on her.

  "Poor dolly's b'oke," said the owner of the headless one in a tone ofdeep commiseration.

  "You _are_ such a breaker, you know, Annie," said Annie's littlefive-year-old sister.

  "Please tell us about the little girl what had the doll wifout thehead," she proceeded, glancing at Hester.

  "Oh, it was taken to a hospital, and got back its head," said Hesterquite cheerfully; "it became quite well again, and was a more beautifuldoll than ever."

  This announcement caused intense wonder and was certainly carrying theinterest of all the little ones. Hester was deciding that the child whopossessed the headless doll _had_ a look of Nan about her dark browneyes, when suddenly there was a diversion--the play-room door was openednoisily, banged-to with a very loud report, and a gay voice sang out--

  "The fairy queen has just paid me a visit. Who wants sweeties from thefairy queen?"

  Instantly all the little feet had scrambled to the perpendicular, eachpair of hands was clapped noisily, each little throat shouted a joyful--

  "Here comes Annie!"

  Annie Forest was surrounded, and Hester knelt alone on the hearth-rug.

  She felt herself colouring painfully--she did not fail to observe thattwo laughing eyes had fixed themselves with a momentary triumph on herface; then, snatching up a book, which happened to lie close, she seatedherself with her back to all the girls, and her head bent over the page.It is quite doubtful whether she saw any of the words, but she was atleast determined not to cry.

  The half-hour so wearisome to poor Hester came to an end, and the girls,conducted by Miss Danesbury, filed into the school-room and took theirplaces in the different classes.

  Work had now begun in serious earnest. The school-room presented ananimated and busy scene. The young faces with their varying expressionsbetokened on the whole the preponderance of an earnest spirit.Discipline, not too severe, reigned triumphant.

  Hester was not yet appointed to any place among these busy workers, butwhile she stood wondering, a little confused, and half intending to dropinto an empty seat which happened to be close, Miss Danesbury came up toher.

  "Follow me, Miss Thornton," she said, and she conducted the young girlup the whole length of the great school-room, and pushed aside somebaize curtain
s which concealed a second smaller room, where Mrs Willissat before a desk.

  The head-mistress was no longer dressed in soft pearl-grey and Mechlinlace. She wore a black silk dress, and her white cap seemed to Hesterto add a severe tone to her features. She neither shook hands with thenew pupil nor kissed her, but said instantly in a bright thoughauthoritative tone--

  "I must now find out as quickly as possible what you know, Hester, inorder to place you in the most suitable class." Hester was a clevergirl, and passed through the ordeal of a rather stiff examination withconsiderable ability. Mrs Willis pronounced her English and generalinformation quite up to the usual standard for girls of her age--herFrench was deficient, but she showed some talent for German.

  "On the whole I am pleased with your general intelligence, and I thinkyou have good capacities, Hester," she said in