VAVA ON FRIENDS.
Both the sitting-rooms at 2 Heather Road were rarely used at the same
time, for Vava learnt her lessons either with Doreen or with Mrs.
Morrison in the kitchen, which, the girl declared, was 'the most
comfortable room in the house,' and which, at any rate, was always
spotlessly clean, and had a bright fire burning, and certainly looked
inviting enough with the kindly, gray-haired woman sitting in the wooden
arm-chair at the table knitting stockings for her 'young leddies' or
mending their clothes. So that Stella would have been alone if she had
not sat with the two others, who were only too glad to have her, not
only because they both liked her, but because they did not care to be
left alone either.
It was a sad fact which Amy had come to realise, that Eva no longer made
a friend of her, but shut herself up within herself, and only opened out
to Mrs. Morrison, and even to her she only spoke about her life before
she came to London, since which, she explained, she had only existed.
She never spoke of the present time.
As for Vava, she avoided Eva's society rather than sought it. Stella
allowed her to be as much with Doreen as she liked, and she took
advantage of the permission not only to do her lessons with her, but to
invite her to learn knitting or hear tales of the Highlands from Mrs.
Morrison, when, if she liked, Eva was free to join them, and was
welcomed.
This seemed quite natural; but when Vava had spent two or three whole
Saturdays with Doreen, for she did not often go to the City on that day
now, Stella woke up to the fact that Eva was rather out of it. She and
Amy were great friends, and though they always invited Eva to come with
them on their outings, they knew that she felt it dull, for their
conversation was all of books which Eva had never read. So Stella took
Vava to task.
'How is it you never go out with Eva, Vava? She has two or three times
had to go for a walk by herself, because you were busy, so she said, and
then you go off a little later with Doreen!' she protested.
'Of course I go with Doreen; she is in my class, and we do everything
together, and I have more to say to her,' said Vava.
'But that is rather selfish; Eva is living in the same house with you,
and yet you take no notice of her except at meal-times, and the poor
girl is lonely,' expostulated Stella.
'She can go out with you and Amy. Amy was her friend before she came to
live with us, why shouldn't she be friends with her still?' argued Vava.
'I am afraid I have rather taken possession of Amy; but I thought as you
two were much of an age you would fraternise, and I find Amy's society
very congenial,' said Stella.
'And so do I find Doreen's society very congenial, and you can't be
friends with people just because it is convenient; but I don't mind
asking her to come with Doreen and me next Saturday,' replied Vava.
Fortunately Eva did not hear this condescending remark, and accepted the
invitation, and the three went botanising some miles out of town.
Stella elected to stay at home, as Amy had letters to write, and she was
sitting alone in their pretty sitting-room when a motor drove up to the
door, and looking out of the bow-window in which she was sitting she saw
Mrs. Montague Jones alight. As she had been seen, there was nothing for
it but to receive her visitor civilly when Mrs. Morrison ushered her in.
But before the old Scotchwoman did this, she stopped to have quite an
animated conversation in the hall with the visitor. Stella had never
been annoyed with her old nurse before, but she felt quite cross at this
odd behaviour. The motor was throbbing so noisily outside that she could
not hear what they were saying, but they were evidently on very good
terms with each other.
This may have helped to make her manner colder than usual; for Mrs.
Montague Jones almost made up her mind to give up any further attempts
to be friendly with this unfriendly girl. However, she had strong
reasons besides kind-heartedness for persevering, and persevere she did.
Fortunately Stella, who, to do her justice, was quite unaware of her
cold manner, remembered that it was to Mrs. Jones's kind thoughtfulness
that she had that pretty sitting-room, and she hastened to thank her.
'Indeed we were only too glad for you to have it, as we have plenty of
sitting-rooms besides that, and we had settled, my husband and son and
I, that we would not use your rooms at Lomore--yours and Vava's,' said
Mrs. Jones.
The Joneses were showing very kindly feeling, which surprised Stella,
who answered lamely, 'You are very kind; but it does not matter, as they
are not our rooms now.'
'But we hope to see you there some day; in fact, you will always be most
welcome to occupy them. At any rate, my son would not have them used,
and insisted on the furniture being sent down here,' said Mrs. Jones.
'It is very kind of your son; but please explain to him that the place
is no longer ours, nor have we any connection with it now, and that we
are never likely to see it again. I hope you will not think me rude,
Mrs. Jones, but I could never go to Lomore again,' Stella said; and she
could not help the tears rising to her eyes, much to her annoyance.
'Indeed I understand that, and I feel that you must hate us, and if it
were not that my husband is so taken with Vava and with you, if you will
forgive my saying so, I would not intrude my acquaintance upon you; but
I must give you his message. He wants me to ask if you and your sister
will not come home with us and dine after the breaking-up at the City
school on Friday week, and let us go and see _Henry VIII._ acted
afterwards; Vava is studying it at school. My husband has to take the
chair and make a speech at the breaking-up, and I shall have to go with
him. You are going of course?'
'I do not know, but I dare say I shall be able to get away from the
office. I am not a free agent, you know; but I will ask my employer's
leave to have the afternoon off,' said Stella.
'Of course you can have the afternoon, and you will come back and dine
with us, won't you--you and your sister? I should like you to know my
son better,' Mrs. Jones begged her.
Stella thought this rather an odd way of speaking, as she did not know
the aforesaid son, 'better or worse,' nor had she any desire to know
him, and was sure that she could picture him as a young edition of his
bullet-headed, commonplace-looking father; but she felt that she could
not refuse the invitation to dinner, and accepted it with her pretty
smile, which made Mrs. Jones forgive a good deal.
'My son will be very pleased,' was her reply, which made Stella almost
repent of her acceptance, and she was surprised at Mrs. Jones's
continual and tactless references to her son and heir, as Stella
bitterly felt. She understood, or thought she understood, that in a way
Mrs. Jones and this son felt that they had ousted her from her
inheritance, and wanted to make amends to her. 'As if they could!' she
said with some scorn.
However, it was impossible to remain untouched by such kindness, and
when Mrs. Morrison brought in hot scones she said quite friendlily,
'This is in your honour, Mrs. Jones; nursie does not make scones for
every one, and I don't think I should have been favoured this afternoon,
as Vava is out.'
So Mrs. Jones went away quite satisfied with her visit, and told her
husband, with a sigh of relief, 'She's actually coming; but upon my
word, Monty, I doubt if the game's worth the candle. It's more
exhausting to try and get on with that young woman than any number of
haughty dowagers, and really I should be sorry for our boy to fall in
love with her; it would be slow work having a statue for a wife.'
'She would not be a statue if she were a happy wife; the City has
petrified her,' said Mr. Jones.
'I don't remember that she was particularly unbending at Lomore before
the City had time to chill her,' said Mrs. Montague Jones dryly.
'No, but adversity had done that,' her husband reminded her; and he was
as pleased as his wife at Stella's acceptance of their invitation.
But this was nothing to Vava's delight. 'And you actually are going? I
am so glad, and you are going to see _Henry VIII._ also! Nursie must
make haste and finish my black embroidered silk, and I must finish
reading the play. Mr. Jones says it's splendidly staged!' she exclaimed.
'When did you see Mr. Jones?' inquired Stella.
'In the office yesterday, when I came to fetch you. He told me where to
go botanising this afternoon,' explained Vava.
'Oh,' said Stella, 'that Mr. Jones!' and it flashed across her mind that
the two Joneses certainly knew each other, and very probably were
related, and that, also very probably, at the office Mr. Jones had
mentioned the fact of Vava's interest in _Henry VIII._ and that she was
going botanising without her (Stella), who would consequently be at home
alone. Well, after all, it did not matter; they meant to be kind, and
she would accept their kindness in the spirit it was given.
'Do you know life's very funny? I mean, the way things happen are
funny,' observed Vava, breaking in upon her sister's thoughts.
'What is that apropos of?' inquired her elder sister, smiling.
'Why, this afternoon. I thought it was going to be spoilt for me because
Eva was coming with us for our walk, and then I come home and find a
delightful invitation waiting for me--a motor drive, a dinner-party, and
the theatre; and I dare say we shall go and have ices at some nice
restaurant afterwards. Mr. Jones knows I love ices,' observed Vava.
'Don't be greedy, Vava; I think you are getting spoilt. Why should Eva's
going with you spoil your walk? I hope Doreen is not making mischief
between you? You liked Eva at first, I thought?' said Stella in a tone
of reproof.
'Doreen is above such a thing; it's Eva's own fault; besides, I do like
her, only I don't always like the way she talks,' said Vava rather
hotly.
'She talks a great deal better than Doreen, as a matter of fact. What
has she done to offend you? You had better tell me, for I think she
feels that you avoid her, and it is very unkind unless you have some
good reason,' persisted Stella.
'I haven't anything against her; it is just that Doreen and I don't
approve of her,' announced Vava.
'Pray, what business have you and Doreen to judge other people?'
exclaimed Stella. 'What do you disapprove of? I insist upon knowing.'
'You don't approve of her yourself, Stella,' said Vava.
'I don't remember ever having said so.'
'You said you did not approve of her buying that suite of furniture,'
Vava reminded her.
'I beg your pardon, I said I did not approve of getting furniture on the
hire-system for myself; but I never criticised Eva. I know nothing of
her private affairs, nor do I wish to pry into them, and you and Doreen
have nothing to do with them either; so if that is all you have against
her you had better put it out of your mind.'
'It isn't only that. She never goes to church'----began Vava.
'Vava, I am ashamed of you! Eva may well say that churchgoing does not
seem to make people better. What right have you to set yourself up to
judge other people in that pharisaical manner? It is a most unchristian
spirit. I know I am not a very good example, for I am not at all humble;
but I think if we want Eva to go to church and be better we shall only
do it by being very nice to her, and not by treating her unkindly and
making her feel that we think ourselves superior,' said Stella very
gravely.
Vava listened with equal gravity, but made no reply. If she had spoken
what was in her mind she would have said that those were not the only
two reasons for disapproving of Eva; but she abstained, and when she saw
Doreen that evening she informed her that she was going to be nice to
Eva.
'I think we are nice to her; we took her for a walk with us on Saturday,
though she doesn't care a bit about botany, and wanted to be at the
skating-rink or the pictures, and talked bosh.' She paused, and then
added, 'By the way, does your sister know what silly stuff she talks?'
she asked.
'No, I did not tell her. Stella is particular, and if she knew some of
the things Eva says she would be very angry; in fact, she would probably
not let me speak to her at all; and then I don't know what would happen,
for we could not go on living in the same house like that,' remarked
Vava.
'Anyway, I don't believe my mother would let me be friendly with her if
she knew. I don't know what to do,' said Doreen.
'We must reform her,' announced Vava.
Doreen laughed. 'I don't think we should have much influence upon her.
She thinks she's very clever because she has read some silly books which
say that one should get all the enjoyment one can out of this life
because it's all that's certain, and you can't argue with a person like
that, who says you have a right to be happy, and that things are right
that you know quite well are wrong, only you can't prove it. Father
would be horrified if he heard her; he'd say she was dangerous.'
'She's only silly,' said Vava in a superior tone. Then they were both
silent, until she exclaimed suddenly, 'Doreen, I have it. I'll tell
nursie all about it!'
'She'll be worse than father; she's awfully strait-laced,' protested
Doreen.
'Yes, but she's very charitable too, and she likes Eva. If any one can
do anything with Eva, nursie can,' declared Vava.
'Well, tell Mrs. Morrison, then, because I think some one ought to know,
and to tell her that she ought not to talk to us like that; we don't
like it, and it muddles one up,' said Doreen with a laugh.
'It does not muddle me; it's against the Bible, and I'd rather go by
that than by Eva,' said Vava; and that ended the conversation.