CONSPIRATORS
Mr. Reeve would have risen from his snug corner and discovered himself to
the girls, but Toinette laid her finger upon her lips to enjoin silence,
and, although he could not quite understand her desire to play
eavesdropper, he complied. From the subject of the cameras the girls went
on to Helen's work in the art class, for Jean was much interested in that
also, and they often built air-castles about the wonderful things they
would do when that fabulous "stone ship" should sail safely into port.
They talked earnestly for girls of thirteen and fifteen, and Mr. Reeve
could not fail to be impressed by the strength of purpose they seemed to
possess, and, having a good bit of stick-to-ativeness himself, admired it
in others. Moreover, he had been forced to make his own way in life when
young, and could sympathize with other aspiring souls.
Presently the two girls moved away, and then Toinette whispered: "I don't
know what you think of me for making you play 'Paul Pry,' but I had a
reason for it, and now I'll tell you what it was."
"I inferred as much, so kept mum."
"Well, you see, since I've been here I've waked up a little, and, somehow,
have begun to think about other people, and wonder if they were happy. At
Miss Carter's school everybody just seemed to think about themselves, or,
if they thought of anybody else, it was generally to wonder how they could
get ahead of them in some way. But here it is all so different, and
everybody seems to try to find out what they can do to make someone else
happy. I can't begin to tell you how it is done, because I don't know
myself; only it _is_, and it makes you feel sort of happy all over," said
Toinette, trying to put into words that subtle something which makes us
feel at peace with all mankind, and little realizing that its cause lay
right within herself; for a sense of having done one's very best and a
clear conscience are wonderful rosy spectacles through which to see life.
"Go on, I'm keenly interested, and these little confidences are very
delightful," said her father, with an encouraging nod and smile.
"So I began to want to do little things, too, and, do you know, daddy,
you'd be really surprised if you knew what a lot of ways there are of
making the girls happy if you only take the trouble to look for them. For
instance, there is Helen Burgess, the larger of the girls you saw just
now: we have become real good friends, and she is very clever, and draws
beautifully. But she has so little to do with that she can't afford to get
the things the other girls have to work with, nor have the advantages they
have. She and Jean have been trying ever so long to get cameras, for they
think that they could take pretty views of Montcliff and sell them to the
people who come here in the summer, and I'm sure they could, too. It does
not make so much difference to Jean, for, although she isn't rich, she
isn't exactly poor, either, you know, and has a good many nice things, but
Helen never seems to have any. So I thought I'd have a little talk with
you and get you to send out a cute little camera for each of them and
never let them know where they came from. Wouldn't that be great fun? But
I want to pay for them. You can use ten dollars of my money, and not send
me my allowance for two weeks; I've got enough to last."
"And what will my poverty-stricken lassie do meantime?" asked Mr. Reeve.
"Oh, she is not so poverty-stricken as you think," laughed Toinette. "She
won't suffer. And then I wanted to ask you if there wasn't some way of
helping Helen in her art work. She wants so much to go abroad with Miss
Preston, but has no more idea of ever being able to do so than she has of
going to the moon. What would it cost, papa? Isn't there some way of
bringing it about? Couldn't you have a talk with Miss Preston and find out
all about it, and then we could plan something, maybe."
Toinette had become very earnest as she talked, and was now leaning toward
her father, her hands clasped in her lap, and her expressive face alive
with enthusiasm.
Mr. Reeve hated to spoil the pretty picture, but said, in the interested
tone so comforting when used by older people in speaking to young folk: "I
am sure we can evolve some plan. I shall be very glad to speak to Miss
Preston before I return to the city, and haven't the slightest doubt that
great things will come of it."
"How lovely! You're just a darling! I'm going to hug you right here behind
the curtains!" cried Toinette, as she sprung up and clasped her arms about
his neck.
"Haven't you one or two more favors you'd like to ask?" said Mr. Reeve,
suggestively.
"No, not another one, just now," she answered, laughing softly. "Too many
might turn your head, and mine, too. But it is so good to have you home
once more. You don't know how lonely I've been without you, daddy. There
wasn't anyone in the world who cared two straws for me till you came back
and I came here. But I've got you now, and I'm not going to let you go
very soon again, I can tell you. You are too precious, and we are going to
have lovely times together by-and-by when I grow up, aren't we?"
"We are not going to wait till then, sweetheart; we are going to begin
right off, this very minute. I can't afford to waste any more precious
time; too much has been wasted already," he said, as he raised the pretty
face and kissed it, and then, drawing her arm through his, added: "Now let
me do the honors. Introduce me to your friends, and let me see if seven
years' knocking about this old world has made me forget the 'Quips, and
Cranks, and Wanton Wiles, Nods, and Becks, and Wreathed Smiles' I used to
know."
They left the snuggery, and, blissfully conscious of her honors, Toinette
presented her father to the girls. Just how proud they were of the marked
attention he showed to each I'll leave it to some other girls to guess. He
danced with them, took them to supper, sought out the greatest delicacies
for them, and played the gallant as though he were but twenty instead of
forty-two. "He treated us just as though we were the big girls," they
said, when holding forth upon the subject the next day.
Twelve o'clock came all too soon.
Mr. Reeve remained over night, and the following day found an opportunity
to have a long talk with Miss Preston--a talk which afforded him great
satisfaction for many reasons.
Toinette, with several of the other girls, escorted him to the train, and
gave him a most enthusiastic "send-off."
In the course of a few days a package was delivered at the school. Had
bomb-shells been dropped there they could hardly have created more
excitement. Jean's house was only a few blocks from the school, and one
Saturday morning--for the cameras were obliging enough to choose that day
to appear--Mrs. Rockwood's sitting-room was the scene of the wildest
excitement.