WHO IS TO PROVIDE THE NEEDFUL?
Fast as they ran, however, the two girls were not the first at the
place of rendezvous. Olive and Ruth, and another girl of the name of
Frances Murray, were all waiting for them when they arrived.
These three girls, with Janet and Dorothy, were the members of the
committee who were managing all the affairs of the Fancy Fair.
The subject now to be brought under discussion was whether Evelyn
Percival, the head girl of the school, should be asked to join the
committee.
Janet was very much opposed to the idea; the other girls, for more
reasons than one, were in favor of it.
Evelyn was popular; she had a very clear head, she had a good many
original, as well as sensible ideas; last, but not least, she was rich.
If Evelyn took up the idea of the Fancy Fair with enthusiasm, the
scheme would certainly succeed, for she would spare neither time nor
money on the cause. She would, however, also, in the natural sequence
of things, become immediately the guiding spirit of the scheme.
Janet was head at present; Janet first thought of the Fancy Fair. A
little boy in the neighborhood had lost his father and mother; the
father had been drowned at sea, the mother had died of the shock--the
baby-boy of a year old had been left without either friends or
providers.
When out walking one day, Janet and one of her companions met the
child, who was a beautiful boy, with picturesque hair and one of those
fair, sweet faces which appeal straight to the hearts of all women. A
little barefoot and slip-shod girl was carrying the child. Janet and
her companion stopped to speak to him; his sad story was told by his
eager little nurse. The girls were full of sympathy; even Janet May's
languid interest was aroused. She was poor, but she took half a crown
out of her purse and gave it to the beautiful baby; her companion
immediately followed suit. Janet and her friend talked of the boy all
the way home, and that evening the Fancy Fair was first mooted as a
means of raising a substantial sum of money for little Tim's benefit.
Mrs. Freeman was only too pleased to see the rather cold-hearted Janet
May roused to take an interest in another. She gave her sanction to
the girls' ideas, and the Fancy Fair was now the principal object of
conversation in the school. The girls liked to think they were working
for little Tim, and Janet secured more affectionate glances and more
pleasant words than she had ever received before in the school. She
enjoyed herself greatly. Ambition was her strongest point, and that
side of her character was being abundantly gratified. She was looked up
to, consulted, praised; she was the head of the committee. Janet liked
to be first; she was first now, with a vengeance. No fear of anyone
else even trying to claim this envied position. Janet was clever; she
had a good head for business; she was first; the glory of the scheme
was hers; the praise, if it succeeded, would be hers. It was all
delightful, and nothing came to dim her ardor until the news reached
her that Evelyn Percival had recovered and was returning to the school.
This news was most unwelcome to Janet. Everybody loved Evelyn; she was
the head girl. If she joined the committee she would be expected to
take the lead; Janet would be no longer first. If such a catastrophe
occurred, Janet felt that the Fancy Fair would immediately lose all
interest in her eyes. Her object of objects now was, whether by foul
means or fair, to keep Evelyn Percival from being asked to join the
committee.
She knew that her task would be a delicate one, as it would be
impossible for her to give the real reasons for her strong objection to
Evelyn being on the committee.
"Well, girls, here you are!" sang out Frances Murray, as the two,
panting and breathless, ran up the winding stairs of the little tower.
"We thought you weren't coming; but three make a quorum, and we were
about to transact the business ourselves; weren't we, Ruth?"
"Yes," said Ruth, in her prim, somewhat matter-of-fact voice; "but,"
she added, glancing at Janet, "we are only too delighted that you have
come, Janey, for what really important step can be taken with regard to
the fair without your advice?"
"Of course," echoed Olive; "it is dear old Janey's idea from first to
last. Sit here, Janet, love; won't you, next me? It is very hot up
here, but there's nice shade under my big umbrella."
Janet took very little notice of her satellites Ruth and Olive. They
were useful to her, of course, but in her heart of hearts she rather
despised them. She was by no means sure of their being faithful to her
in case anything occurred to make it more for their own interest to go
over to the other side.
"Sit down, sit down, and let us begin!" said Frances, who was a very
downright, honest sort of girl. "What I want to do is to get to
business. The fair is only three weeks off. We have committed ourselves
to it, and we have really made very little way. The idea of the fair
is, of course, Janet's, and she's the head for the present; but when
Evelyn joins us, we'll have a lot of fresh force put into everything.
Mrs. Freeman says that Evelyn is better, and that she will be down to
supper this evening, and I vote that we tell her about the fair then,
and ask her at once to come on the committee. What do you say, Dolly?"
"I agree, of course," said Dorothy. "Evelyn is delightful; and she has
such a lot of tact and sense that having her with us will insure the
success of the fair."
"Well, that is our principal business to-day," continued Frances. "We
can soon put it to the vote, and then each member of the committee can
join her own working party, and get things as forward as possible. For
my part, I can't get the girls to do much needlework this hot weather.
I have done everything in my power to incite them; little Tim's
destitute condition has been aired before their eyes so often that it
begins to lose its effect. The girls who are well off say they will buy
things, or write to their several homes for them, and the girls who are
badly off simply loll about and do nothing."
"You have not sufficient influence, Frances," said Janet, some
angry spots coming into her cool, pale cheeks. "Now, my girls work
extraordinarily well. Annie and Violet, and Rosy and Mamie, are
painting some beautiful fans; they will be really artistic, and will
fetch a good price. All that is wanted is to get a girl to take up
the work she is really interested in. She'll do it fast enough then.
You can't expect anyone to care to hem stupid pinafores, and to make
babies' frocks this weather."
Frances colored; she had no love for Janet, whose ideas on every point
were opposed to her own.
"It's all very well to sneer at my pinafores and babies' frocks," she
exclaimed; "but when people go to bazaars they like to buy useful
articles. Your ideas are all very well, but you carry your art mania
too far; however, when Evelyn is with us she'll make everything smooth.
How glad I am that she has come back in time! Now then, who'll vote to
have her asked to join the committee?"
"I will, of course," said Dorothy Collingwood. Janet was silent; she
walked across the little platform at the top of the Lookout, and
leant over the low parapet. Ruth and Olive were also silent; they
cast anxious and undecided glances at their friend's back. They knew
by her attitude that she was waiting for them to speak. In her heart
Ruth adored Evelyn, but she was more or less in Janet's power, who had
helped her many times with her more difficult lessons. Olive also felt
that up to the present it would be her best policy to side with Janet.
"Well, Ruth, you, of course, wish us to ask Evelyn to join," said
Frances, fixing her bright eyes on the girl.
"I--I don't know," said Ruth, in a hesitating voice.
"It might rather upset arrangements now," faltered Olive.
"Yes, I agree," said Janet, flashing round; "I agree with Ruth and
Olive."
"Ruth doesn't know her own mind, so you can't agree with her,"
interrupted Frances.
"Yes, Ruth does know her own mind," said Janet; "she's a little bit
timid, I grant, but she knows it well enough. You don't want Evelyn to
be asked to join us, do you, Ruthy?"
"No," said Ruth, with sudden boldness, "no, I don't."
"Well, then, the votes are against you, Frances," said Janet; "so the
matter is settled; three against two. I suppose we needn't waste any
more time now; we can all go away and set to work."
"No; wait a minute," said Dorothy. "The decision you have come to,
Janet--of course, Olive and Ruth always go with you; you know that, so
they scarcely count--the decision you have come to seems to us most
extraordinary. You offer a direct slight to Evelyn Percival; you leave
her out in the cold. I do not see that there is anything for it, but
for Frances and me to send in our resignations, if Evelyn is not to
join us."
"I have very good reasons for what I am doing," said Janet. "When I
stayed with my aunt, Mrs. Greville, last summer, she had a Fancy Fair
very much on the lines on which I propose to conduct ours. At the last
moment a lady of influence in the neighborhood was asked to join. She
was very nice and very important, just as Evelyn is very nice and
very important, and the people said just what you say now, that they
could not possibly do without her, and that it would be a great slight
not to have her. Well, she was asked at the eleventh hour to come
on the committee, and from that moment everyone else's arrangements
were turned topsy-turvy, and the fair was an absolute failure. Had
Evelyn been here at the beginning, we could not have helped asking
her to join, but I know that it's a mistake now. I don't think I'm
unreasonable in saying this."
Janet had great control of her emotions, and her words, now uttered
very calmly and quietly, had a certain effect upon Frances Murray.
"There's something in what you say," she remarked after a pause. "Of
course, Evelyn might be told that matters are too advanced now for her
to take any active part, but there is another matter, Janet, which
you have overlooked. It is this: There is not a single rich person on
our committee. I am as poor as a church mouse, and am not ashamed to
own it. I don't suppose you are overburdened with pelf, and I know
that Dolly and Ruth and Olive are not oppressed with the weight of
their purses. Now, Evelyn is rich. If Evelyn took an interest in this
bazaar, she would think nothing of spending five or six pounds in
buying all sorts of pretty things; she would send to London and have
some big packets sent down full of those sorts of little fresh tempting
_souvenirs_ which people always take a fancy to at bazaars and always
buy."
While Frances was speaking, Janet turned rather pale. She had foreseen
this great difficulty, and was much puzzled to know how to get over it.
"The fact is," said Dolly, "there are only two really rich girls in the
school. Evelyn is one, and that poor wild little Biddy is the other."
"Is Bridget O'Hara rich?" asked Janet suddenly.
"Rich? I should think so. Mrs. Freeman told me one day that the poor
child is an heiress, and will have more money than she knows what to do
with."
"Why do you talk of an heiress as 'a poor child,' Dorothy?" said Janet.
"That kind of speech sounds so affected and out of date."
"Well, you needn't be cross to me," said Dorothy. "I do pity Bridget
very much; she will have a lot of responsibility by and by, and up to
the present she certainly has no wise ideas with regard to her future."
"Poor dear," said Janet, with a little sneer, "her position is truly
afflicting."
"Well, well, do let us return to business," said Frances. "Is Evelyn to
be asked to join or not? We all know that Janet doesn't love her; we
can't make out why, but we are not going to trouble ourselves on that
score. I repeat that it is a slight to Evelyn not to ask her to join,
but that fact may be glossed over by making a great deal of the fact
that she was not here at the beginning. We might support you, Janet, in
this, in order that you might retain your dearly coveted position as
head of the fair."
"I don't care a bit about that," said Janet, coloring high.
"Now, my dear; now, my dear, don't let that graceful little tongue lend
itself to a wicked story. However, to return to business. If we exclude
Evelyn from taking an active part in the arrangements of the fair, who
is to provide the needful? Now, Janet May, there's a puzzler for you;
answer it if you can."
Janet walked over to the little parapet, and, leaning against it,
looked out over the dazzling, dancing summer sea. She was silent for a
full moment, then she turned slowly and looked at her companions.
"I own that the money is a sore puzzle," she said. "It goes without
saying that we must have money. Give me twenty-four hours, girls, to
think what is best to be done. If, at the end of that time, I have
thought of no expedient, I will own myself defeated, and will withdraw
my opposition to Evelyn Percival being asked to join."