A TASTE OF THE FUTURE
Thus bidden, Flossie took Sarah's hand and led her upstairs. "You won't
like Miss Clark," she remarked, as they went. "We don't like her, not
any of us. She's so mean; always telling tales about somebody. She got
Johnnie slapped and sent off to bed last night; it was all spite--nasty
old thing!"
"Who is Miss Clark?" Sarah asked, feeling rather bewildered.
"Miss Clark! What! didn't Ma tell you about her?" ejaculated Miss
Flossie, in surprise.
"No; Auntie never told me about her at all."
"Lor! There, that shows Ma herself don't think much of her! I'll tell
Miss Clark, any way."
"Don't, don't!" Sarah cried, in an agony.
"Yes, I shall," the amiable Flossie returned, suddenly opening a door
and dragging her cousin into the midst of a noisy crew, all squabbling
round a tea-table. "Miss Clark, what d'you think? Ma actually never
told Sarah a single word about you!"
"Well, my dear, never mind; perhaps Mrs. Stubbs didn't say very much
about any of us."
"She didn't," put in Sarah hastily.
"I suppose this is Sarah?" Miss Clark went on.
"Yes," answered Flossie, adding, under her breath to Johnnie, "Stupid
little thing!"
"How do you do, Sarah?" asked the governess, with the air of primness
which had made her unruly young pupils dislike her. "I hope we shall be
very good friends, and that you will do your best to be a very tidy and
industrious little girl."
This rather took Sarah's breath away, but she replied, politely, that
she would try her best.
"Come and sit by me, Sarah," said May, with a very condescending air of
protection.
"Yes, sit by May," added Miss Clark. "May is my right hand; without May
I could not endure all the worry and trial of the others. Copy May, and
you will be quite right."
So Sarah watched May mincing with her knife and fork, and
conscientiously tried to do likewise, to the infinite amusement of the
younger ones, of whom May took no notice whatever, and to whose jibing
remarks she showed a superb indifference.
"Sarah," shouted Tom, stuffing his mouth so full of pressed tongue and
bread-and-butter that Sarah's heart stood still for fear of his choking,
"how many pieces of bread-and-butter can you put into your mouth at
once?"
"Disgusting boy!" remarked May disdainfully, without giving Sarah time
to reply. "You grow more atrociously vulgar every day you live!"
"Hi, hi!" shouted Tom, seizing a tablespoon and ramming it down his
throat until even boy's nature revolted and expressed disapproval.
"Put that spoon down," cried Miss Clark authoritatively. "If I see you
do that again, Tom, you shall not go down to dessert."
Now this was almost the only threat by which poor Miss Clark, whose life
was one long-continued struggle and fight, was able to hold her own over
Tom when he was at home for his holidays. Not going down to dessert
meant, not only the punishment of losing a share of the good things
below, but also it meant inquiry as to the cause of absence, and other
effects according to evidence.
Tom's exuberance of spirits settled down promptly into discreet
behaviour, and Miss Clark had time to look round the table.
"Johnnie, you are forbidden to eat jam for a week," she burst out.
"Minnie, take his plate away."
"It's a shame poor Johnnie isn't to have any jam," Minnie began
whining--"all for nothing, too. It's a real downright shame, it is," and
forthwith she took the opportunity of daubing a thick slice of
bread-and-butter with jam off her own plate, and smuggling it into the
luckless Johnnie's hand in such a way that he might eat it upside down,
to the intense delight of Tom opposite, who had seen the little
manoeuvre, and was bursting to disclose it.
For once nodding and winking had no effect, for nobody happened to be
looking at him. So Tom, in despair lest such an amusing incident should
be altogether lost, began vigorously nudging Flossie, who sat next to
him, with his elbow. Flossie, unfortunately, was in the act of raising a
large cup of very hot tea to her lips, and Tom's nudge causing the hot
cup to touch her knuckle, made her jerk violently, and over the tea went
in a deluge on to her lap.
It is almost impossible to give an adequate description of the scene
which followed. Flossie shrieked and screamed as if she was being
murdered by a slow process; Tom vowed and protested that it was not his
fault; Janey had pushed him over against Flossie; Janey appealed to Miss
Clark to remember that at the very moment she was handing her cup in the
opposite direction; and Miss Clark began to wring her hands and exclaim
that she would ask to have Tom sent back to school again, for stand his
cruel and unbrotherly behaviour she neither could nor would. And in the
midst of it all, young Johnnie seized the opportunity of helping Minnie
freely to jam and eating off her plate, as if he were eating for a
wager.
Sarah sat looking, as she was, scared; and May calmly surveyed the scene
of uproar with disdainful face.
"Disgusting boy!" she said to the still protesting Tom. "You get more
vulgar every day. Don't take any notice, Sarah; you will get used to it
by-and-by."
Eventually Miss Clark began to cry weakly.
"It's too much for me; how am I to bear four weeks more of this dreadful
boy?" she sobbed.
"Do like me, take no notice," suggested May.
"But I _must_ take notice," Miss Clark cried desperately. "My only
comfort is that you do sit still, May dear. As for Sarah, she is a good
girl, a pattern to you," with a withering glance at Tom. "I feel sure
Sarah has never seen such a disgraceful scene before; have you, Sarah?"
"No," whispered Sarah, wishing fervently that Miss Clark had been
pleased to leave her out of the discussion.
"I thought so. I knew Sarah's manners were far too good for her to have
been brought up among this sort of thing. Sarah is like a young
princess."
By this time the tumult had subsided a little. Flossie had recovered
from her fright, and was consoling herself with buttered scones and
honey, looking darkly at Tom the while, just by way of reminding him
that she had not by any means forgotten. But Tom was unconscious of her
wrath--a fresh idea had presented itself to his volatile mind, and for
the moment he had utterly forgotten not only Flossie's wrath, but also
that other probable wrath to come.
"Princess Sarah!" he shouted, pointing at his cousin. "Her Royal
Highness Princess Sarah--of Nowhere. Princess Sarah!"
"Princess Sarah!" cried Johnnie, taking up the taunt, and waving his
bread-and-butter like a flag. "Three cheers for Princess Sarah!"