GOOD MANNERS.
'Do you think you can walk to school by yourself this morning, Vava?'
inquired Stella a little doubtfully as they stood at the parting of
their ways one week-day morning in the City. Stella had always walked to
the school-gates with her younger sister; but to-day she had work
waiting her at the office, and she was anxious to get there early.
'Of course I can; I'm the only girl in the whole school who is taken to
school like a kindergarten child, and some of them even come quite alone
without their nurses or any grown-up person!' cried Vava, airing what
was rather a grievance with her.
Stella put on her most dignified air. 'Very possibly; but I do not wish
to be taught manners by your schoolfellows or their parents. That class
of person does not go in for chaperons,' she said in her clear voice.
'Oh Stella!' cried Vava, flushing crimson and looking very vexed.
'What is the matter, Vava?' exclaimed Stella in astonishment.
'That was one of the girls in my form, and she heard you!' protested
Vava.
Stella looked as vexed as Vava; she would not for worlds hurt any one's
feelings willingly, and she knew too that she ought not to have said
what she did; but pride was Stella's besetting sin, and she hated having
to mix with people whom she considered her inferiors, and her present
life and surroundings only made her prouder.
'I am sorry; I forgot we were so near the school. Perhaps she did not
understand me. You say the girls find your Scotch accent difficult to
follow?' suggested the girl.
'Well, good-bye,' said Vava; and went off one way, while Stella turned
down the street leading to her office without further comment.
When she had left her sister, Stella thought no more of her unfortunate
speech. It had been unwise; but, after all, it was quite true. And if
the girl had overheard it all, the worst she could think was that Vava's
sister was proud, and that she thought herself superior to the pupils of
the City School for Girls, which last, Stella privately thought, they
could see for themselves.
But Vava did not forget it, and looked very gloomy as she walked along,
her eyes looking straight in front of her, not seeing any one.
'Hallo, Vava Wharton! Where are you--in the moon, wool-gathering?'
inquired a hearty voice beside her, and a rather stout, common-looking
girl, who, however, was nicely dressed and had a pleasant face, patted
her on the back.
'Oh Doreen! you startled me. I was thinking!' ejaculated Vava.
'Not very pleasant thoughts, by the look of you,' said Doreen, with a
sharp look at Vava's grave face.
'No, they were not,' admitted Vava.
'What's the row? Not any trouble at home, I hope?' asked the girl
kindly, and her rough, boisterous voice grew quite gentle.
'I have no home,' said Vava.
'I'm sorry; but you have a sister, and, I say, isn't she a beauty?
You're lucky to have her; I have no sister. If it's anything I can help
about you may as well tell me; come, out with it. You'll be in the dumps
all day if you've got it on your mind. Is it the lessons?'
'No, it's nothing to do with school; at least--well, it's something my
sister said about school just now that is bothering me.'
'Doesn't she think you are getting on well, or working hard enough?
Because, if that is all, you just introduce me to her to-morrow morning,
and let me talk to her, and I'll soon teach her different,' said the
girl cheerfully.
Vava thought to herself that Doreen would not have made this suggestion
if she had overheard Stella's opinion of her schoolfellows, and she felt
that, kind though she was, Doreen was the last girl she would like to
introduce to her sister. 'It was just a stupid remark my sister made
about the manners at school,' explained Vava.
'The manners at school? Why, we're supposed to have very good manners!
I'm sure we're always being drilled in good manners by Miss Upjohn, and
the inspectors and visitors always say there's such a good tone among
the girls!' exclaimed Doreen, and she looked at Vava as if she suspected
her of having taken some tales to her sister, or made some complaint
about them. Then as Vava did not answer, for she could not very well
explain the true facts of the case, Doreen went on, 'I suppose you think
we are not too civil to you about your Scotch accent; but, if we
laughed, we didn't mean it unkindly. It's no use being too thin-skinned
in this world. I should think your sister was rather too delicate for
roughing it in London; she looks as if she ought to be a duchess, not a
City clerk.'
'That's just it!' burst forth Vava impulsively.
'Is that what's bothering you? Well, I shouldn't worry about that. Some
rich man will come along and marry her before long, you'll see; she's
far too pretty to remain single. But,' she added, as a thought struck
her, 'why did you first say it was our bad manners that upset you, and
then that it was your sister being a clerk?'
Then Vava told the whole story, adding, 'I hope you are not offended?
Stella only meant'----
'She only meant that you are a cut above the rest of us, and it's quite
true, and of course we know that. Why, the first day you came in with
her we thought it was some grand visitor coming. I'm sorry Rosie Brown
overheard it; she can be nasty when she likes, and she considers herself
some one too, for her father is an alderman. Anyway, I'm glad you've
told me, and I'll tackle her if she says anything,' declared Doreen, not
letting Vava finish her apology.
'Oh I hope she won't; the girls will be so annoyed!' cried Vava in a
fright.
'It's not your fault; they won't blame you; I'm sure you're pleasant and
friendly enough with them all. Anyhow, as I said before, I'll give them
a piece of my mind if they say anything, and I'll be your friend if
you'll let me. Of course, I know you are a lady and I'm not, and I don't
talk good grammar and you do, though you roll your "r's" and say
"w_h_at" in a funny way; but I'd like to talk better if you'll learn me.
You see, I am to be a teacher one day, and it'll stand in my way, and
father says a good education is a fortune,' answered Doreen.
'I'll teach you, not "learn" you, if I can; for our governess did teach
us grammar, and our father was very particular how we spoke, so I
suppose we do speak better than a great many girls,' said Vava, laughing
and looking quite bright again.
'And we'll be chums?' demanded the girl.
'Yes, if you like,' agreed Vava, not seeing very well how she was to get
out of it, but wondering what Stella would say to her choice of a
friend. As they entered the playground she saw Rosie Brown the centre of
a little group of girls, who looked up as she came in, and then looked
away again, without nodding good-morning as usual.
Vava's heart sank; but Doreen said in her loud cheery voice, 'Hallo, you
there! What are you all confabbing about so mysteriously? Nice manners
that!' she wound up purposely.
'Oh we can't all have the manners of your friend Lady Clara Vere de
Vere! I wonder she condescends to talk to you or come to our school at
all with the people of our class,' said one of the girls.
Vava's colour rose, but she walked on without taking the least notice of
what was said.
Not so, Doreen. She stopped in front of them, and demanded loudly, 'What
do you mean by that? I have no titled friend, because I'm only a
tradesman's daughter, and very proud of the fact, for he earned every
penny he's got honestly, which is more than you can say of some grand
people.'
'We don't mean anything to do with you, Doreen; you don't give yourself
airs or despise us; but if you knew what Vava Wharton thinks of you, you
wouldn't walk with her!' said Rosie Brown.
'Wouldn't I? Well, I just should, then, for she's my chum, and any one
who speaks against her speaks against me. And, pray, how do you know
what she thinks of me? Has she been telling you?' inquired Doreen,
standing square and uncompromising before the angry group.
'She thinks you're no class, as she does the rest of us,' said Rosie
Brown.
Doreen turned on her. 'Does she? She's never shown any signs of it. No
one could be nicer and more friendly than Vava Wharton has been ever
since she has been here, and I shouldn't have thought she was one to go
behind my back and say I was no class, especially to you, Rosie. Anyway,
I've a right to know what she said about me,' demanded Doreen, who knew
very well what Rosie meant, and that she was putting her in an awkward
position.
'If she didn't, that stuck-up sister of hers did,' said Rosie sulkily.
'Well, I shouldn't call her stuck-up after she has been talking to you,'
observed Doreen sarcastically.
'_She_ talk to me! She wouldn't demean herself by addressing a word to
any one under a duke. I happened to overhear a remark she made,' said
Rosie, falling into the trap.
'And you repeated a private remark that you listened to? That's nice and
honourable, anyway. I wonder what Miss Upjohn would say if she heard of
it? But you mind one thing, all of you--if you choose to take any notice
of anything heard by eavesdropping, you can. I call it playing it low
down; but you're not going to annoy Vava Wharton, who is not to blame
one bit, and if you do I'll just go straight to the head-mistress and
tell her, and we'll see what she says about honour,' announced Doreen.
Having said so, she turned on her heel and followed Vava into the
cloak-room, leaving the little group of girls--to whom she had given 'a
piece of her mind,' as she called it--looking rather crestfallen.
'All the same, she does consider herself better than us, or why does she
say good-bye so quickly if she sees her sister, and sit next a mistress
at lunch?' inquired Rosie.
'It's a free country, I suppose she can do as she likes. I believe she
told me she had come from a lonely part of Scotland, and wasn't used to
living in a great city, and that crowds rather frightened her,' observed
a girl who looked rather ashamed of having listened to this
tittle-tattle.
'It's all right. I've shut her up, mean eavesdropper, and made them all
feel ashamed of themselves; so don't you worry about it any more,'
Doreen whispered to Vava, as she took off her boots and put on
school-shoes.
'Oh thank you,' was all Vava said, and she felt very grateful and
friendly toward Doreen; but during the day she found herself wondering
what Stella would say to this new friend, for she was sure Doreen would
expect to be introduced to Stella if they met on the way to school,
which they were pretty sure to do. And, grateful as she was to Doreen
for her championship, she found herself wishing that the girl was a
little more refined. However, Vava was no snob, and she determined to
face facts and tell Stella she must be friends with Doreen, and so she
did.
Stella heard her without making any remark, until Vava said, 'And, of
course, you need not speak to her if she comes up to us in the street;
she's sure to do that, because she has not very good manners.'
'She has very good principles and a good heart, which are more
important, and I shall certainly stop and thank her for being so kind to
you this morning,' remarked Stella.
Vava was so surprised that she stared at Stella. 'But--but she's not a
lady, Stella, and she talks dreadful grammar sometimes; but she asked me
to correct her, so she is trying to improve,' Vava observed.
'I don't suppose you will learn bad grammar from her, and as you only
see her in school you will not be too much in her company.'
All the same, Vava was glad the next morning that they did not meet
Doreen, and sorry the morning after when they did. To her surprise,
Doreen only nodded when she caught sight of them, and walked on the
other side of the street.
'Who is that, Vava?' inquired Stella, seeing her nod to some one.
'That is Doreen,' replied Vava.
'Tell her to come and speak to me; I should like to know her,' announced
Stella.
Vava ran across to Doreen, and gave Stella's message.
'Does she really? May I really?' stammered Doreen, quite flustered.
'Yes, of course; she's not a bit stiff when you know her,' Vava assured
her, for she guessed that Doreen was a little afraid of the stately lady
in black.
But Stella gave her lovely smile, and Doreen forgot her fears as she
gazed in frank admiration at Miss Wharton, who said, 'Thank you for
being so nice to Vava yesterday. I ought not to have said what I did,
for, after all, you showed better manners than I.'
'Oh but I didn't. I'd love to have manners like you; and father said,
when I told him last night, that it was only a natural remark, and that
people would always be divided into classes as long as the world lasted,
and that it was very hard on you having to come down from your class and
mix with us; but that you'd find we'd a lot of good in us, though we had
no manners,' cried Doreen eagerly.
'I am sure of it,' said Stella, who did not seem to mind the girl's
plain speaking.
Doreen looked at Stella suddenly, and gave a great sigh. She was quite
at ease with her, Vava noticed with surprise, and with still greater
surprise that Stella seemed to like her and not to notice her rough
speech. 'Well, what was that sigh for?' Stella asked, smiling.
'You are so beautiful,' said Doreen bluntly.
Stella coloured a little, and laughed as she said, 'I am glad you think
so; I don't think I am very different from other girls.' And then they
said good-bye to each other.
'She is as different as chalk from cheese!' cried Doreen
enthusiastically to Vava.
'I don't think she's proud of being pretty; she never seems to notice
that,' said Vava; and she went into school much happier than she had
felt the day before, and relieved to think that she might make friends
with Doreen, whose fine character made her rather popular at school.