"We've been having tea with Mr. Arnold. We think you had better
be his wife. He has not anybody to do things like Mrs. Errington
did, and we told him we would find a wife for him. We said
we would send her to-morrow. He wants a wife, and so he will
expect you. Please tell him you came from us. And have your
wedding-day very soon, because we shall all come and see you
married. Mr. Arnold told us we could do this, so it is not wrong.
"Your affectionate friend,
"JILL BARON.
"P.S.--Jack and Bumps and I chose you, and we know Mr. Arnold
will be pleased."
"Jill," said Miss Falkner sharply, "what is this?"
"Oh," said Jill unconcernedly, "it's a copy of a letter I sent Miss
Grant. I wanted to do it neatly, so I wrote it in there first."
"But you have never sent it?"
"Yes, I did. Annie was going out, and she took it to the post."
"But Jill, that was very naughty."
"Why?"
"You know why. Your sister was very vexed at your talking about such
things. I don't know what she will say now. You must come and tell her
what you have done."
"Oh, I can't; please don't make me--Miss Webb will laugh. It isn't
naughty. We simply _love_ Mr. Arnold. And why shouldn't he have a wife
as well as Mr. Errington? He didn't mind us doing it."
"He never told you to write to Miss Grant."
"No, because it was only afterwards that we thought of her."
Miss Falkner, in spite of her entreaties, took her straight to Mona,
who was in her bedroom dressing for dinner.
"I have brought Jill to tell you what she has done, as I think you ought
to know."
And then Miss Falkner left the little delinquent, who stood copy-book
in hand with hanging head before her eldest sister.
"It's--it's a letter I've sent to Miss Grant," said Jill.
Mona took the copy-book from her.
"Oh, Jill!" she exclaimed in real distress. "This is really very naughty
of you. You may make a great deal of mischief, and annoy Miss Grant
extremely. I don't know how we can put it straight."
"I don't see what I've done wrong," said Jill stubbornly.
"Little girls have no business to interfere with grown-up people. I don't
know what Miss Grant will think; I must see Miss Falkner. Ask her to
come here, and you had better go straight to bed."
"It's always the way," Jill confided to Bumps when they were both in bed
that evening; "everything I do turns out wrong. Children can't be kind
to grown-up people. It's no good to try. They won't let them. And Mr.
Arnold will never have a wife, if he doesn't have Miss Grant. There's
no one else like her."
"But you sent her a letter," said Bumps comfortingly.
"Yes, but Mona is going to do something dreadful to-morrow. I know
she is."
As a matter of fact Mona did nothing. She felt powerless to act. Miss
Webb counselled silence. She seemed to be enjoying the whole thing;
Miss Falkner spent nearly an hour in bringing Jill to reason, but she
repented of some of her words when they happened to meet Mr. Arnold in
their morning walk. Jill flew to him at once.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I really did it for the best. I told Miss Grant to go
to you, but Miss Falkner says I oughtn't to have anything to do with
husbands and wives. She says Miss Grant will be made uncomfortable and
so will you; and I wouldn't make you uncomfortable for _worlds_!"
Mr. Arnold looked at first as if he did not know what she was talking
about; then he began to laugh, and his laugh was so infectious that
Miss Falkner could not help joining him.