AGNES HOSKING APOLOGISES
"VIOLET, it is time to get up."
Violet started up in bed and saw Ann standing by her side, fully
dressed. The bright, morning sunshine had been streaming into the room
for hours, but it had failed to awaken Violet, who, after Ann had left
her on the previous night, had lain awake till nearly daybreak, too
agitated to rest, and then had fallen into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
"Is it very late?" she asked, as she yawned and rubbed her eyes.
"It's nearly breakfast-time. Get up and dress as quickly as you can;
and, Violet, I waited up till mother and father came home last night
and told them all about Agnes Hosking—I mean about her suspicion
of you."
"Well?" questioned Violet, anxiously; "they don't believe that I know
anything about the purse, do they?"
"No, certainly not."
"Did you explain to them how I came to get you to ask Agnes here?"
"Yes."
"Then they know everything?"
"Everything."
Violet asked no more questions, but jumped out of bed, and Ann left
her to dress and went downstairs to the dining-room. Dr. Reed stood
by the window, on the look-out for the postman; he glanced around with
a smile as his daughter entered the room and gave her a hearty kiss
as she joined him and slipped her arm through his.
"You look brighter than you did last night, my darling," he remarked
affectionately; "worries never seem so formidable by daylight,
do they?"
"No," she replied; "but I am still very unhappy about Violet, father.
She declared last night that she would never enter the doors
of Helmsford College again, and I am sure she meant it."
"Doubtless she did; but I believe she will change her mind this
morning. Poor little thing, I am very sorry for her! Here comes the
postman! Run and take the letters from him, my dear."
Ann obeyed. The letters proved all to be for her father, and scarcely
had he finished reading them before Mrs. Reed and Violet entered the
room, and the breakfast was brought in and placed on the table.
During the first part of the meal the conversation was on different
subjects; but by-and-by Dr. Reed turned to Violet, who was hardly
eating anything, and was looking nervous and ill at ease, and said
with a kindliness of tone which brought the tears to her eyes:—
"Ann has been telling me that things have not been going very
pleasantly for you at school this term, Violet; I am sorry to hear
that."
"Oh, Dr. Reed, I cannot go back to Helmsford College now I know what
Agnes Hosking has been saying of me!" Violet responded, almost
tragically; "it is impossible!"
"Why?" inquired the doctor quietly.
"Why? Do you think I can endure to be in the company of those who
consider me a thief?" Violet asked, casting a glance full of reproach
at him, her voice trembling with excessive agitation.
"You cannot?" he questioned. "I should not have thought you were one
to play the coward like that. Of course I cannot insist on your
returning to school against your will, I should not dream of doing
that; but I certainly advise you strongly to go with Ann this morning
in the usual way. An unjust suspicion has been laid upon you, which I
admit is very galling and hard to bear, and some few of your
school-fellows have allowed an ill-natured girl to prejudice them
against you, but I understand that you have your supporters
at Helmsford College, and if I were you I would face this unpleasant
affair and not run away from it. You have nothing to be ashamed
of—that is, as far as the loss of the purse is concerned,"
he concluded, and Violet knew he was thinking of the motive which had
influenced her in obtaining Agnes' invitation to his house.
"What do you imagine would be thought of you at school if you left
suddenly in the middle of the term, Violet?" asked Mrs. Reed; "perhaps
you have not considered that. I am sure, upon reflection, that you
will see my husband is right. To my mind it is always better to face
a trouble than to turn one's back on it. Do you know what I would do
if I were you? I would take no notice of Agnes Hosking's cruel
insinuations, I would show myself above noticing them. Depend upon it,
that is the wisest way for you to act, and time will show that you
have been most unjustly suspected. We, that is my husband, and Ann,
and I, all know that now; and you must not fancy, my dear, that we do
not fully sympathise with you, for indeed we do. We are more grieved
on your account than we can express."
They had done breakfast now, and, as his wife finished speaking,
Dr. Reed pushed back his chair from the table. Violet addressed him
quickly:—
"I hope I don't seem ungrateful," she said, "please believe I am not
that. I—I want to do what is right, and, if you think it will be best,
of course I will go to school as usual."
"I am sure that will be best," Dr. Reed answered, looking pleased;
"I did not think your father's daughter would prove a coward and run
away."
He left the room without saying any more, and, half-an-hour later,
the two girls went to school, both feeling depressed, but on the best
of terms with each other.
Ann knew that it was her mother's intention to call on Miss Orchardson
and inform her what the result of Agnes Hosking's visit to No. 8
Laureston Square had been, but she did not tell Violet that;
therefore, when, in the midst of a French lesson, in the afternoon,
a messenger from Miss Orchardson appeared in the class-room where it
was being given, desiring that Miss Hosking might be sent to her
in her private sitting-room, Ann was the only one in the class who was
able to guess why she was wanted.
Agnes stood in awe of the headmistress, and her expression was one of
decided uneasiness as she left the room. She was not absent very long,
and when she returned, looking pale and rather frightened, Miss
Orchardson was with her.
"I am sorry to interrupt the class, mademoiselle," the headmistress
said, addressing the French governess; "but Agnes Hosking has an
apology to make to Violet Wyndham, which it is my desire should be
made publicly. As you are all aware, Agnes was so unfortunate as to
lose a valuable purse last term, and it appears that she gave out that
she suspected Violet Wyndham of having taken it. She has confessed to
me that she had no actual ground for her suspicion, and she wishes
to apologise for the annoyance and unhappiness she has caused. She has
behaved very badly, but an apology seems to be the only reparation
she can make."
Violet, in her surprise, looked far more confused than Agnes, who now
mumbled a few words of apology and resumed her seat. Then Miss
Orchardson left the room, and the French lesson was resumed. Soon
after that work came to an end for the afternoon, and the day-scholars
went home, whilst the boarders repaired to the playgrounds where
Agnes' apology to Violet Wyndham formed the general topic of
conversation.
Agnes herself had no idea who had made Miss Orchardson acquainted
with her unscrupulous conduct, and she had been considerably alarmed
at the extent of the headmistress' knowledge. She had been obliged
to admit that she had no direct charge to bring against Violet,
and had readily agreed to offer her an apology, glad to think the
matter could be settled so easily.
"I did it to satisfy Miss Orchardson," she said to the girls,
in answer to their curious inquiries, "but I have my own opinion
all the same."
Meanwhile, Violet and Ann were on their homeward way together. There
was a sparkle of triumph in Ann's grey eyes, for she was hopeful now
that Violet's enemy had been completely routed.
"I wonder who can have told Miss Orchardson," said Violet, not a
little puzzled at the turn events had taken; "was it you, Ann?"
"No. It was mother, I expect. She meant to, I know; for she and father
agreed last night that it was not right to allow Agnes to continue to
spread such a wicked story about you. Oh, Violet, I wish I had told
mother what was going on at school weeks ago! She would have put a
stop to it before. This only shows it's always right and best to be
quite open about everything. By the way, have you told your people
at home how unhappy you have been?"
"No; ought I to do so, do you think?"
"I hardly see how you could explain by letter."
"Ruth would blame me for having had anything to do with Agnes, I feel
certain of that. She wrote and said she was greatly surprised when I
told her we'd asked Agnes to tea. Perhaps I shall tell her all about
that some day, and then she'll understand how it came about."
Ann looked thoughtful. She was thinking how strange it was that Violet
should have minded her school-fellows knowing of the straitened
circumstances of her people at home, and what great store she must set
on money and position to have imagined that she had been slighted on
account of her not possessing either the one or the other.
"I wonder if Agnes has heard of father's appointment, yet," Violet
proceeded presently, "I wish she could have seen that paragraph about
him in the newspaper Dr. Elizabeth sent to me, I almost wish I had
kept it to show her, but I forwarded it to Ruth; I should like her
to know that my people are shortly to be in a better position."
"I don't see that it matters whether she knows it or not," Ann
replied, a trifle impatiently.
"No, of course it does not, but—oh, Ann, I don't believe you mind
in the least what people think of you!"
"I mind what those I love think of me, but I don't bother about the
opinions of others. Father says we should do what we believe to be
right, be quite straight in every way, and never trouble about what
people may be thinking."
"I wish I could do that!"
"Well, why can't you?"
"I don't know. I do mind what people think of me. Ruth used to say
it was very weak and foolish of me, and I suppose it is."
"I am sure it is." Ann was silent for a moment, then she went on:
"The first term I was at Helmsford College—I had a governess before
that —the girls put me through a regular list of questions. It seemed
they wanted to find out all about father's family—"
"How rude of them!" broke in Violet; "I hope you didn't gratify their
curiosity? should have told them to mind their own business!"
"Well, I did nothing of the kind," Ann replied with a smile; "I told
them about my grandfather, that he had been a working farmer who had
laboured with his hands, and I told them all about dear old Granny,
and how father had made his own way in the world—I was very proud
to tell them that!"
"And were the girls as nice to you afterwards as they were before?"
asked Violet, struck with amazement.
"Oh yes! I have always got on very well with all the girls; they are
not so narrow-minded as you think them."
"It was very plucky of you to speak out," said Violet, "I'm sure
I could not have done it myself. Oh, Ann, you believe I love father,
don't you?"
"Why, of course I do!"
"And yet I've been so ashamed that people should know he was not
a prosperous man. That's one point on which Ruth and I have been so
different. You're like Ruth. I believe if you knew her you'd like her
much better than you do me."
"I don't believe I should. People who are alike never get on so well
together as those who are not; I have often heard that remarked,
haven't you?"
"Yes; but Ruth is nicer than I am in every way, she's so unselfish
and sweet-tempered."
They were nearly at home now, and, in turning the corner of the street
which led into Laureston Square, they came face to face with
Dr. Elizabeth Ridgeway, who stopped to speak to them for a minute.
"I have been to see your father, to make an appointment with him
to meet me to-morrow," she explained to Ann, "I want his opinion of
a patient of mine—that poor girl, Malvina Medland."
"Is she worse?" Ann questioned, in dismay.
Dr. Elizabeth briefly assented; then, being apparently in a hurry,
she said good-bye and went on her way. Violet and Ann exchanged
concerned glances, and the latter said, with a serious shake of
the head:—
"She must be very ill if Dr. Elizabeth wants father to see her.
Oh, Violet, I do hope she is not going to die!"