When Ralph Durrant's father came for him on the day of the great
break-up at the school, he found a little boy who said with emphasis
that he had several school-mothers, and that he did not wish to say
good-bye to any of them. This state of things rather puzzled Mr
Durrant, whose one desire in life was to make Ralph intensely happy.
"How am I to manage such a lot of mothers, little man?" he said.
"You must, Father," replied Ralph. "There is my naughty school-mother--
her name is Harriet. She is both naughty and good, and I love her like
anything. And there is my beautiful, good school-mother--Robina; and I
want not to say good-bye to either of them. I s'pose," continued Ralph,
"that Robina must have the pony; only I wish there were two ponies--"
But here Mrs Burton interfered.
"Ralph," she said, "I have something to say to your father. Run away
for a short time and play with Curly Pate, my dear."
Ralph, who had been excellently trained by Robina, ran immediately out
of the room. Mr Durrant turned and faced Mrs Burton.
"Well," he said, with a smile, "my little scheme seems to have answered.
Ralph was fretting a good deal when I brought him here. He had been
badly managed at home: none of his aunts understood him. He missed his
dear mother,--who died two years ago,--more than words can say. It was
not that he fretted about her, for the dear little man was too young to
fret, but he just missed the mothering part of life which all little
children need and cannot do without. His aunts are good, but
old-fashioned people, and they failed just where they most meant to
succeed. Now, I see a dear, healthy, happy little boy, with rosy cheeks
and bright eyes. I have to thank you, Mrs Burton, for a great deal.
"You know that I must leave him very soon to return to South Africa.
You know, too, that my work while there, leads me into very possible
dangers: in fact, I think I may add into certain dangers; and if it were
possible to secure a permanent home for my little man in your house, I
should love to do so."
"But this is a school for girls," said Mrs Burton, with a smile.
"Still, one little boy--my dear friend--one little motherless boy, not
six years of age--"
"He is a baby," said Mrs Burton, "and we all love him. I will think it
over."
"Do, my dear friend. I can scarcely tell you what a weight of care will
be lifted from my mind if you will allow me to send Ralph back here at
the end of the holidays. But in the meantime, what is this talk about
several school-mothers, and in especial about two; one naughty--one whom
he loves very dearly, and one good--one whom he also seems to adore? Am
I really to give two ponies, two side-saddles, two habits, and provide
for the keep of two of these little animals for many years? If you can
prove to me that such an action on my part is necessary, I will gladly
give not two, but twenty, ponies to Ralph's little mothers in this
school."
"You are so generous, Mr Durrant, that you would really spoil all my
little girls if you were allowed to have your own way," said the
headmistress. "The fact is, this your proposal with regard to the pony
was so tempting and so unlooked for, that it very nearly turned the head
and the heart of one child in this school. That child--your little boy
will tell you her name, so there is no use in my withholding it--is
called Harriet Lane. She behaved as she ought not to have done; and
although circumstances occurred--which I will also tell you later on--
that so terrified her and so appealed to her conscience that she is very
much improved now; nevertheless it would never do to give her a pony.
You must keep to your decision, Mr Durrant, one pony for one girl, and
one school-mother for little Ralph."
"Very well," said Mr Durrant. "But I suppose I may do something else
for the would-be school-mothers."
He talked a little longer with Mrs Burton, and the result of this
conference was that just before break-up on that lovely summer's day,
the great African explorer made a proposal to the school. It was this:
"I have heard a great deal," said Mr Durrant, standing on a platform
and looking at all the eager faces, "about your goodness to my little
boy. I have further heard that the girls of the third form have each in
turn acted as his school-mother."
"Oh yes--oh yes!" said Ralph, coming forward now, and speaking with
great eagerness: "I has got eight mothers, and I don't want to lose one
of them. My bestest mothers are my naughty one and my goodest one.
Robina is my goodest one, and Harriet is my naughtiest one: I love them
best, but I love all the others too."
"You, I think, are Robina Starling," said Mr Durrant, fixing his eyes
on Robina's face.
"Yes, sir;" she answered.
"And you have taken good care of my little boy."
"I love Ralph very much, sir," said Robina simply.
"And you, too, love him," said Mr Durrant, turning his eyes by a sort
of instinct in the direction where Harriet stood, Harriet still looking
pale and lanky and different from the rest of her school-fellows.
"Yes," said Harriet, with a sort of choke in her voice; "I care for
Ralph."
Little Ralph himself looked full at her. He ran up to her now and took
her hand.
"Don't think about your naughtiness," he whispered to her. "You is
forgived, you know."
Harriet squeezed the little hand and then let it go. There was a lump
in her throat. She could not imagine why Ralph Durrant--a little,
little boy--had such power over her.
"And the rest of you are mothers too," said Mr Durrant, looking from
one to the other.
"We all love Ralph," they answered.
"Well now: I have a proposal to make. I am taking a house at the
seaside--a very nice country house for the holidays; and I want to know
if all the school-mothers can come and stay with Ralph and me in my
house. You are all invited. Will you come? There will be the pony for
the _special_ school-mother--for you, Robina. The pony which will be
your property, and which you can ride as much as you like, and as long
as you like, and lend to your companions when you wish to be
good-natured, will be with you. And there will be donkeys--excellent
donkeys for the rest of you, and also bicycles, and also a waggonette,
and a governess cart; so I think there will be no difficulty in your
getting about; and I can promise you beforehand that I am a first-rate
person for managing picnics; and that my cook-housekeeper, Mrs Joseph,
is famous for her cakes, pies, and puddings; and that my other
housekeeper, Mrs Scott, will see to your wardrobes and look after your
other comforts. But I wish to warn you beforehand, that there will be
no lady in the house. There will be no grown-up lady-woman in my house,
so you children will have to look out for storms; for I can be, when I
like, a _very_ fierce man, and if there are really naughty children, I
can make it unpleasant for them. There, my dear little girls, I am only
joking--"
"Father's awful at his jokes," interrupted Ralph at that moment. "You
_is_ silly, father; you know that you is never cross."
"Perhaps," said Mr Durrant, "you had better, girls, take Ralph's
estimate of my character. Anyhow, come those of you who wish to try me,
and stay away, those of you who are afraid. The house will be ready to
receive you in a fortnight from now. During that time, Ralph and I will
enjoy ourselves together. This day fortnight, we shall both be prepared
to welcome you at Sunshine Lodge. I am calling the house by that name
in advance, for I mean to have the sunshine in it day and night; and by
the special sort of sun that I allude to, I mean Kindness, Charity,
Unselfishness, Forbearance; and last, but not least, Love. I mean, too,
that Pleasure should enter the house--nice, jolly Pleasure--and that
Care should keep her wrinkled old face out-of-doors. I mean, in order
to secure these things, to have a certain amount of discipline in the
house, but that I shall exercise myself, and in my own way. Now, all
those who wish to come to Sunshine Lodge, have the kindness to hold up
their hands. Those who do not wish to come can keep their hands down."
"In course you will _all_ come!" said Ralph. "It's Father's way to talk
like that; but he's awfu' jolly, is Father!"
"Yes: I believe I am jolly," said Mr Durrant. "You had best take
Ralph's estimate of me: it is fair, on the whole. Now girls: who'll
come? who'll stay?"
Was there an instant's hesitation? Every hand was raised: every eye
said "Yes." Every mouth shouted, "I am going!" Every little heart
quivered with excitement.
"Then you will all come: you will all trust me," said Mr Durrant. "Now
you need not trouble any more about the matter. Get ready for the fun;
for fun it will be, I assure you--fun, fast and furious; fun from
morning till night, and in a certain sense from night till morning. I
will get the addresses of your parents from Mrs Burton, and will write
to them individually, and I think I can promise that there won't be one
refusal. The eight little mothers shall join Ralph and me at Sunshine
Lodge in a fortnight. And now, my dears, good-bye for the present."
Mr Durrant took Ralph's hand as he spoke. Ralph turned, however, as
they were leaving that sunny part of the grounds where this animated and
exciting scene had just taken place.
"Good-bye, mothers: good-bye, all of you!" shouted Ralph, kissing his
hand frantically to the eight little girls.
He disappeared round the corner, a proud little figure in his pretty
costume, and the school-girls looked one at the other.
Book 2--CHAPTER TWO.