THE WILD IRISH GIRL.
Lessons went on in their usual orderly fashion. At eleven o'clock there
was a break for a quarter of an hour. The girls streamed into the
playground. The playground was very large, and was asphalted, and in
consequence quite dry and pleasant to walk on. There was a field just
beyond, and into this field the girls now strolled by twos and twos.
Kathleen O'Hara clung to Ruth Craven's arm; she kept talking to her and
asking her questions.
"You needn't reply unless you like, pet," she said. "All I want is just
to look into your face. I adore beauty; I worship it more than anything
else on earth. I was brought up in the midst of it. I never saw anything
uglier than poor old Towser when he broke his leg and cut his upper jaw;
but although he was ugly, he was the darling of my heart. He died, and I
cried a lot. I can't quite get over it. Yes, I suppose I am uncivilised,
and I never want to be anything else. Do you think I want to copy those
nimby-pimby girls over there, or that lot, or that?"
"You had better not point, please, Miss O'Hara," said Ruth. "They won't
like it."
"What do I care whether they like it or not?" said Kathleen. "I wasn't
brought here to curry favor with them. What would my darling father say
if I told him that I was going to curry favor with the girls of the
Great Shirley School? And what would mother say? No, no; I may pick up
a few smatterings, or I may not, but there is one thing certain: I mean
to make a friend of you, Ruth--yes, a great big bosom friend. You will
be fond of me, won't you?"
"I like you now," said Ruth. "I know you are kind, and you are very
pretty."
"Why, then, darling," said Kathleen, "is it the Blarney Stone you have
kissed? You have a sweet little voice of your own, although it hasn't
the dear touch of the brogue that I miss so in all the other girls."
"But you like Miss Tennant don't you?" said Ruth.
"Oh, yes. Poor little Alice! She's very reserved and very, very formal,
but she's a good soul, and I won't worry her. But you are the one my
heart has gone out to. Ah! that is the way of Irish hearts. They go
straight out to their kindred spirits. You are a kindred spirit of mine,
Ruth Craven, and you can't get away from me, not even if you will."
The fifteen minutes for recreation came to an end, and the girls
returned to the schoolroom. Ruth was in a high class for her age, and
was already absorbed in her work. Kathleen drummed with her fingers on
her desk and looked round her. Kathleen was in a low class; she was with
girls a great deal smaller and younger than herself.
"How old are you, Miss O'Hara?" the English teacher, Miss Dove, had
said.
"I am fifteen, bless your heart, darling!" replied Kathleen.
"Don't talk exactly like that," said Miss Dove, who, in spite of
herself, was attracted by the sweet voice and sweeter eyes. "Say, 'I am
fifteen, Miss Dove.'"
Kathleen made a grimace. Her grimace was so comical that all the small
girls in the class burst out laughing. She was silent.
"Speak, dear," said Miss Dove in a persuasive tone.
"Yes, darling, I'm trying to."
"You mustn't use affectionate words in school."
"Oh, my heart! How am I to bear it?" said Kathleen, and she clasped a
white hand over that organ.
Miss Dove paused for a moment, and then decided that she would let the
question in dispute go by for the present. She began to question
Kathleen as to her acquirements, and found that she must leave her with
the younger children for the time being. She then went on to attend to
other duties.
Kathleen sat bolt-upright in the centre of the class. It seemed absurd
to see this tall, well-grown girl surrounded by tiny tots. One of the
tiny tots looked towards her. Presently she thrust out a moist little
hand, and out of the moisture produced a half-melted peppermint drop.
Just for a second Kathleen's bright eyes fell upon the sweetmeat with
disgust; then she took it up gingerly and popped it into her mouth.
"It's golloptious," she said, turning to the child, and then she drummed
her fingers once more on the edge of the desk. Presently she stooped
down and whispered to this small girl:
"I hate school; don't you?"
"Y--es," was the timid reply.
"Let's go out."
"But I--I can't."
"I must, then. I have nothing to do; the lessons are deadly stupid.
Forgive me, girls; you are all blameless;" and the next moment she had
left the room.
Half a moment later she was in the fresh air outside. Her cheeks were
hot, her hair in disorder, and her hand, where she had touched the
peppermint, was sticky."
"What would father say if he could see me now?" she thought. "If Aunty
O'Flynn was to look at her Kathleen! Oh, why did they send me across the
cold sea to a place of this sort--a detestable place? Oh, the fresh air
is reviving. I was born free, and Britons never, never will be slaves. I
can't stay in that horrid room. Oh, how long the morning is!"
Just then a teacher came out and beckoned to Kathleen.
"What are you doing outside, Miss O'Hara? Come in immediately and return
to your class."
"I can't dear," replied Kathleen in a gentle tone. "You are young,
aren't you? You don't look more than twenty. Do you ever feel your heart
beat wild, dear, and your spirits all in a sort of throb? And did you,
when you were like that, submit to being tied up in steel chains all
round every bit of you? Answer me: did you?"
"I can't answer you, Miss O'Hara. You are a very naughty, rebellious
girl. You have come to school to be disciplined. Go back immediately."
For a minute Kathleen thought of rebelling, but then she said to
herself, "It isn't worth the fuss," and returned to her place once again
in the centre of the class.
"I have been called back," she said in a whisper to her little
peppermint companion. "I was naughty to go out, and I am called back. I
am in disgrace. Isn't it a lark?"
The little girl felt quite excited. Never was there such and big and
fascinating inmate of the lower fifth before. It was worth coming to
school now to be in the vicinity of one so handsome and so gay.
The weary morning came to an end at last. The girls seldom returned for
afternoon school, generally doing their preparations at home. Alice
Tennant, however, sometimes preferred the quiet school to the noisy life
she lived with her brothers at home. She looked now eagerly for
Kathleen, who had shunned her from the instant they had entered the
school; she stood just by the gate waiting for her. Kathleen, on her
part, was looking for Ruth Craven. Ruth had been monopolised by
Cassandra Weldon.
"You must come home with me," she said.
"But my grandparents will be expecting me," said Ruth.
"Never mind; we will go round by your cottage and ask them. I know all
about you, and I want to know you better. You will, won't you?"
"Thank you very much," said Ruth.
"We will go on at once without waiting for the others," said Cassandra,
and they walked on quickly, while Kathleen searched in vain for her
chosen friend.
"Come, Kathleen; I am waiting," said Alice in a slightly cross voice.
"Mother said we were to be home early to-day."
"All right," said Kathleen; "but I can't find Miss Craven anywhere.
"You can't wait for her now. Indeed, she has gone. I saw her walking
down the road with Cassandra Weldon."
"And who is she?"
"The head girl of the school; and such a splendid creature! I am glad
she is taking up Ruth. It isn't possible for every one to notice her;
although, for my part, I have no patience with that sort of false pride.
Of course, a lot of the foundation girls are very common; but when one
sees a perfect lady like Ruth one ought to recognize her."
"Of course," said Kathleen, fidgeting a little as she walked.
"And how did you get on?" asked Alice, noticing the dejected tone of
her voice.
"I got on abominably," said Kathleen.
"What class are you in?"
"I don't know. I am with a lot of babies; I suppose I am to be a sort of
caretaker to them. There wasn't anything to learn. I am going to write
to father. I can't stay in that horrid school."
"Oh, yes, you can. You will get to like it very much after a time. You
have never been at school before, and of course you find it irksome."
"Is it irksome?" cried Kathleen. "Is it that she calls it? Oh, glory!
It's purgatory, my dear, that's what it is--purgatory--and I haven't
done anything to deserve it."
"But you want to learn; you don't want to be always ignorant."
"Bedad, then, darling, I don't want to learn at all. What do I want to
know your sort of things for? I could beat you, every one of you, and
the teachers, too, in some accomplishments. Put me on a horse, darling,
and see what I can do; and put me in a boat, pet, and find out where I
can take you. And set me swimming in the cold sea; I can turn
somersaults and dive and dance on the waves, and do every mortal thing
as though I were a fish, not a girl. And give me a gun and see me bring
down a bird on the wing. Ah! those things ought to be counted in the
education of a woman. I can do all those things, and I can mix whisky
punch, and I can sing songs to the dear old dad, and I can comfort my
mother when her rheumatics are bad. And I can love, love, love! Oh, no,
Alice, I am not ignorant in the true sense; but I hate French, and I
hate arithmetic, and I hate all your horrid school work. And I never
could spell properly; and what does it matter?"
"Everything," replied Alice. "You can't go about the world if you are
stupid and ignorant."
"Can't I?" exclaimed Kathleen, and she flashed her eyes at Alice and
made her feel, as she said afterwards, quite uncanny.
The Tennants were, after all, not a large family. They consisted of Mrs.
Tennant, Alice, and two young brothers. These brothers were schoolboys
of the unruly type. Alice considered them very badly trained. Kathleen,
however, was much taken by their schoolboyish ways.
As the two girls now entered the house they heard a whistle proceeding
from the attic; a cat-call at the same time came from the basement.
"Oh, dear!" cried Alice, "there are those dreadful boys again. Whatever
you do, Kathleen, you must not encourage them in their larks."
"But why shouldn't I? I like them both. I call David a broth of a boy. I
am glad you have got brothers, Alice. I haven't any; but then I have
lots of boy cousins, which comes to much the same thing."
The girls by this time had reached the large bedroom which they shared
on the first floor.
"You are welcome to my brothers if you don't toss all your things about
in my room," cried Alice. "If we are to sleep together we must be
orderly."
"Orderly, is it?" cried Kathleen. "I don't know the meaning of the word.
Well, all right, I'm ready."
She pushed her fingers through her tangled golden hair, and, without
glancing at herself in the glass, marched out of the room.
"I wish mother hadn't asked her to come," said Alice to herself. "The
house was bad enough before, but now she will make things past bearing."
Alice went downstairs to the sound of a cracked gong. The Tennants had
their meals in a sitting-room on the second floor. It was barely
furnished, and had kamptulicon instead of a carpet on the floor. Mrs.
Tennant, looking careworn and anxious, was seated at the head of the
table; her dress was somewhat faded. Alice entered and took her seat at
the foot. Kathleen was nowhere to be seen.
"I have only soup and fish for dinner to-day," said Mrs. Tennant. "I do
trust Kathleen will be satisfied."
Alice frowned at her mother in some displeasure.
"We ought to have meat--" she was beginning, when there came a bang and
a scuffle, a girlish laugh, and Kathleen, leaning fondly on both the
boys, appeared. Mrs. Tennant pointed to a seat, and she sat down. The
Irish girl had a healthy appetite, and was indifferent to what she ate.
She demanded two plates of soup, and when she had finished the second
she looked at Mrs. Tennant and said emphatically:
"I have fallen in love."
"My dear Kathleen!"
"I have--with a girl, so it doesn't matter. She's the prettiest,
sweetest, bonniest thing I ever saw in my life. I am going to hunt round
for her immediately after dinner. I thought I'd say so, for I mean to do
it."
"Oh, Kathleen!" said Alice in a distressed voice, "you really mustn't.
You must come back to the school with me. I promised Miss Dove that I'd
see you through your tasks.--You know, mother," continued Alice,
"Kathleen is not very advanced for her age, and Miss Dove wants to get
her into a proper class as quickly as possible; therefore she is to be
coached a little, and I have undertaken to do it.--You will come with
me, Kathleen? I must get back to the school again by half-past two. You
will be sure to come, dear?"
"I think not, dear," replied Kathleen in her most aggravating tone.
"But you must.--Mustn't she, mother?"
"You ought to, Kathleen," said Mrs. Tennant. "You have been sent here to
learn. Alice can teach you; she can help you very much. She means to be
very kind to you. You certainly ought to do what she suggests."
"But I am afraid," said Kathleen, "that I am not going to do what I
ought. I don't wish to be good at all to-day. I couldn't live if I
wasn't really naughty sometimes. I mean to be terribly naughty all the
afternoon. If you will let me have my fling, I do assure you, Mrs.
Tennant, that I will work off the steam, and will be all right
to-morrow. I must do something desperate, and if Alice opposes me I'll
have to do something worse."
"You are a clipper!" said David Tennant, smiling into her face.
"All right, my boy; I expect I am," said Kathleen; and then she added,
springing to her feet, "I have eaten enough, and for what we have
received--Good-bye, Mrs. Tennant; I'm off."