[Illustration: THEY ALL BROUGHT KATE O'CONNOR BACK IN TRIUMPH.]
GIRLS NEW AND OLD
BY
L. T. MEADE
AUTHOR OF "BETTY, A SCHOOL GIRL," "A SWEET GIRL GRADUATE,"
"WILTON CHASE," "FOUR ON AN ISLAND," "BASHFUL FIFTEEN,"
"RED ROSE AND TIGER LILY," "PALACE BEAUTIFUL," "RING OF
RUBIES," "POLLY, A NEW-FASHIONED GIRL," "A WORLD
OF GIRLS," "OUT OF THE FASHION," "GOOD LUCK,"
"A GIRL IN TEN THOUSAND," ETC., ETC.
_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY_
J. WILLIAMSON
NEW YORK
THE MERSHON COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
COPYRIGHT, 1895, BY
THE CASSELL PUBLISHING CO.
_All rights reserved._
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. A FIRST NIGHT, 1
II. THE PRINCIPAL, 14
III. PROFESSORS AND PUPILS, 25
IV. DWELLERS IN CUBICLES, 38
V. CECIL AND THE BOYS, 55
VI. MRS. LAVENDER'S PLAN, 69
VII. AN OUTRAGEOUS PROPOSAL, 87
VIII. MR. DANVERS ORDERS FURNITURE, 100
IX. THE CLEARING OF THE WAY, 110
X. TREACHERY, 118
XI. THE SUMMERHOUSE, 130
XII. KATE'S LITTLE PLAN, 139
XIII. CECIL INVESTIGATES, 164
XIV. THE LITTLE HOLE IN THE SUMMERHOUSE, 178
XV. THOSE HIGH ROCKS, 198
XVI. THE PROMISE IN THE CATHEDRAL, 204
XVII. SUSPENSE, 225
XVIII. CONSECRATED, 232
XIX. CECIL, 256
XX. A HARD FIGHT, 263
XXI. GIRLS AND BOYS, 271
XXII. MATILDA'S OPPORTUNITY, 280
XXIII. A LOST LETTER, 301
XXIV. GOD'S WILL AND KATE'S WILL, 311
XXV. THE HEART OF THE GALE, 323
XXVI. THE OPENING IN THE CLIFF, 333
XXVII. ROCK OF AGES, 340
GIRLS NEW AND OLD.
CHAPTER I.
A FIRST NIGHT.
IT was an autumn evening when Molly Lavender first arrived at Redgarth.
This large school for girls was situated in a certain well-known
district in the north of England. It adjoined a cathedral town of
great beauty, and was in the neighborhood of those wide downs and
far-reaching moors for which this part of the country is justly famed.
The school itself was inclosed in spacious gardens, occupying several
acres of land. The houses of residence surrounded the great hall and
lecture rooms, where the work of education was carried on. There were
eight houses of residence, and from forty to fifty girls lived in each.
It had been the dream of Molly Lavender's life to go to Redgarth. Her
education hitherto had been conducted partly at home, and partly in a
small school; she longed to enter a wider world, and looked forward
with much enthusiasm to the comradeship and _esprit de corps_ which
would form part of the education of her new life. A vacancy had been
offered her at St. Dorothy's, one of the most popular of the houses,
and when her cab drew up there on this lovely evening, a very eager and
excited young face peeped out.
Molly was fifteen, just the age when girls can be shy. She had lived
in a whirl of excited feeling during all her long journey from London;
but now that she had really arrived at Redgarth, a sense of unexpected
timidity assailed her, and although she was not such a coward as to
wish to run away, she heartily desired the first evening to be well
over.
When she appeared, a group of girls were standing idly chatting in the
beautiful entrance-hall. No one spoke for a moment; but before there
was time for real embarrassment, the principal of the house, a tall,
good-looking, dignified woman of about thirty, came out of a room at
one side of the hall. She gave Molly a cordial welcome, introduced her
to one or two of her companions, and then took her upstairs, to show
her her own little room.
"I hope you will be thoroughly happy at Redgarth, my dear," said Miss
Leicester, in her brisk, energetic voice. "You are very fortunate
in finding a vacancy in this house. We are all very happy here, and
I think I can promise that you will have a good time. Our motto is,
Plenty of work, and plenty of play; the life is as healthy and full of
pleasure as life can be. For my part, I envy girls who, like yourself,
come to a great school like this with all their future fresh before
them. By the way, what is your Christian name? It is the custom at St.
Dorothy's to call the girls who are in residence by their Christian
names."
"My name is Molly," replied Molly Lavender, looking, with her clear
brown eyes full at Miss Leicester.
Miss Leicester could not help smiling at the sweet, frank face. "Molly
is a very good name," she said; "there is something lovable about it.
I hope you will have a happy time here, Molly. And now tell me how you
like your room."
"Am I to have this room all to myself?" asked Molly.
"Certainly; how do you like it?"
"I think it lovely--only--is it my sitting room?"
"Sitting room and bedroom in one. Oh, you don't see your bed! Let me
show it to you."
Miss Leicester walked across the little room, to where a
luxurious-looking sofa stood: she pulled aside a pretty covering, and
showed underneath a properly made-up bed, small, certainly, but looking
most inviting, with its snowy sheets and white frilled pillows.
"There, Molly," she said, "I hope you will sleep soundly in that little
bed. Your washing apparatus is cleverly hidden away behind this screen.
This pretty bureau contains a bookcase on the top, a writing table and
desk at one side, a set of drawers for your linen at the other. Behind
this curtain you will hang up your dresses. Now, my dear, I must leave
you; but we shall meet, I hope, at supper time."
Miss Leicester nodded brightly, and the next moment the tired girl was
alone.
"If only Cecil were here!" thought Molly to herself. "I wonder if there
is any chance of Cecil coming. Oh, yes, this is a sweet little room,
but I feel shy just now. I feel quite stupidly shy, and like a fish out
of water. Still, I'm determined not to remain in that uncomfortable
position an hour longer than I can help. Grannie has sent me here,
she sent me rather against her own inclination, and I'm determined to
prove to her that she has done the right and only thing to satisfy
me. I could not live if I didn't make something of my life. Grannie
objects to Girton and Newnham, but she has consented to my finishing
my education at Redgarth. Now, then, for a good tussle with the fates;
I shall win, I feel convinced. If only Cecil were here, I should feel
certain on the subject."
Molly took off her hat, brushed the dust carefully from her dress,
rearranged her smooth brown hair, and washed her face and hands. Then
she went over to the window, threw it open, and looked out. Redgarth
is one of the most beautiful towns in northern England. It boasts of
a lovely cathedral, and from where Molly stood she could see its four
slender spires, and its gray turrets, hoary with age. The next moment
the hour struck, and a chime of bells rang beautifully out on the
evening air.
"It is lovely," thought the girl, clasping her hands. "I know I shall
adore that old cathedral. How joyous those chimes sound! how beautiful
the evening sky looks at the back of the spires! Yes, this lovely
sunset on my first arrival is a good omen. I hope, with all my heart,
that I shall do well here."
There came a knock at the door. Molly said "Come in," and a girl with
dark eyes and hair entered the room.
"My name is Hester Temple," she said. "As you are quite new, I thought
perhaps you would like to come down to supper with me."
"You are very kind," said Molly, with some timidity in her voice.
"I hope you like your room," said Hester.
"Yes; I think it charming."
Miss Temple went and stood by the bureau; she tapped her fingers on its
polished surface somewhat impatiently.
"They all make that sort of remark at first," she said; "they all call
their rooms charming until they find out their defects."
"Whom do you mean by they?" asked Molly.
"The girls at St. Dorothy's. You belong to 'they.'"
"Do I?" said Molly. The color flooded her cheeks.
Miss Temple regarded her with a fixed and critical stare.
"I wish you would come here, just for a moment," she said. "Please
stand so, facing the light."
"Why?" asked Molly.
"Won't you oblige me?"
"Yes, certainly; here I am. Now, what do you want?"
"To take a good look at you, of course; do you know you are quite
good-looking?"
Molly laughed.
"I wish you would not flatter me, Miss Temple," she said.
"It is not flattery--I abhor flattery--I never flatter anyone; I am
remarked all over the school for my brusqueness. I simply state a
fact--a very patent fact; others will tell it to you in more glowing
language. You are good-looking; you have a clear complexion; not much
color, but that doesn't really matter; your hair is thick and abundant,
awfully prim and old-fashioned in the way it is arranged, but that
can be altered. I can quite imagine that, if anything excites you,
your face will wake up into real beauty. Now pray don't begin the
usual thing; don't say, 'Oh, Miss Temple!' or anything commonplace
of that sort. In the first place, I am not Miss Temple to you--I am
Hester. We're all Hester, and Jane, and Anne, and Mary, or whatever
our Christian names happen to be, to each other. What is your name?
Desdemona, I should think; or perhaps Ophelia--you've got something of
the martyr droop."
"Oh, what a horrid thing to say!" replied Molly, brisking up and
laughing. "I am not so fortunate as to be distinguished by the name of
either Desdemona or Ophelia: I am simply Molly."
Hester Temple dropped a mock courtesy.
"Simply Molly," she repeated; "what a dear little rustic English sound!
Well, Molly, I can read your character already. I see you intend to go
in for the whole thing. You will take up the life with zest. You will
enthuse--yes, I know you will. Now, I never do; I don't think it good
form."
"Well, I think it is," said Molly stoutly.
"Didn't I say as much. I knew you had lots of spirit. How your eyes
flash! Oh, you will find no inconveniences in your room. Everything
will be _coleur de rose_ with you. You are just the sort of girl whom
Miss Forester will adore."
"I am longing to see Miss Forester," said Molly. "She must be a
splendid woman."
Hester shrugged her shoulders.
"_Chacun à son goût._ Well, if you are ready, we had better go
downstairs."
"I am quite ready," replied Molly.
The girls left the pretty little room together. They went down the
broad, polished stairs, and stood for a moment or two in the hall.
Molly, who was not accustomed to the beautiful parquetry which covered
the floor, found herself slipping about as if on ice. Hester looked at
her and laughed.
"Your first lesson at St. Dorothy's," she said, "is to get your
footing; it is like being on board ship--you must get, not your sea
legs, but your parquetry legs. Now, don't be afraid; don't attempt to
walk on your toes--tread firmly, and the deed will be accomplished. I
see some of my friends; I will introduce you. This is Annie Sinclair,
and here, here is the romp of the house, Kate O'Connor. Come here,
Kate, and let me present you to Molly Lavender; Molly is the new girl
we have been expecting, you know; yes, I quite see that you two will be
chums.
"Kate, Kate O'Connor,
Oh, how I love her!"
Hester sang the couplet in a gay, clear voice. Kate's splendid black
eyes danced with mirth.
"I wish you wouldn't be such a ridiculous creature, Hester," she
said, "you would prejudice anyone against me. Is your name Molly?"
she continued, looking full at the newcomer. "What a pretty name! I
heartily hope you will have a good time here."
"It is so like you, Kate, to say the word 'heartily,'" exclaimed
Hester. "That's because she is Irish, you know, Molly. Irish girls
always exaggerate. I should consider it quite sufficient to say, 'I
hope you will have a good time,' but the Irish girl has to put in the
word 'heartily.'"
"I heartily hope you will have a good time, Molly Lavender," repeated
Kate, in a stout voice.
"It will be her own fault if she hasn't," said Hester. "What do you
say, Annie? What opinion would you form of a girl who found St.
Dorothy's dull?"
"That she was unworthy of our privileges," replied Annie.
"I am most anxious to like everything," said Molly.
She laughed slightly as she spoke.
The fact is, she was feeling more nervous than she dared to own. The
girls rattled off their conversation in brisk, brusque voices; all
the faces were new, all the voices strange; there was a great deal of
badinage and repartee--a sort of ceaseless chaff was going on. Molly
felt bewildered.
A great gong sounded at this moment through the house.
"Come and sit near me at supper," said Kate, noticing the faint alarm
which lurked in Molly's brown eyes. "I will promise to steer you
through the shoals this first evening. You will get on your own feet in
no time."
"No, she won't; she's slipping now," said Hester, with a laugh.
"Take my arm," said Kate. "This horrible parquetry! I nearly brained
myself during the first fortnight. Now, here we are; this table to
the left is mine. You must sit here at my right. I can't talk to you
for the first few minutes, for I have to carve. Oh, I forgot--I had
better introduce you before I begin. Girls, this is the new girl--Molly
Lavender. I'll introduce you all in correct style presently."
There were five or six tables in the large dining-hall. All the tables
were surrounded by eager girlish figures. Most of the girls wore
demi-evening dress. Pretty blouses of different colors were the rage.
The principal, Miss Leicester, looked very handsome in black velvet,
slightly open at the neck. The meal which was set before the hungry
girls was plain but abundant. Molly, who had not eaten anything for
hours, was glad to turn her attention to the well-filled plate which
Kate placed before her.
"You were lucky not to sit at this table when Kate O'Connor first took
the head of it," said a laughing girl of the name of Amy Frost.
"Amy, you're surely not going to tell tales?" cried Kate.
"Yes, I am! yes, I am!"
"Tell, Amy! do tell!" exclaimed several voices. "Kate deserves to be
shown up in her true colors."
Molly watched the girls as they spoke. Several pairs of eyes were
turned on Kate's laughing, beaming face. Notwithstanding the badinage
in their tones, the glances which Kate received were full of affection.
"Oh, she's the wildest, naughtiest, most daring, most forgetful, wild
Irish girl in existence," said Amy. "Being Irish, she is full of
presumption; she has the utmost confidence in herself, and she dearly
loves to take the lead. She never rested until she had persuaded Miss
Leicester to make her head of a table. You perceive, Molly, that being
head means responsibility. The head has to feed all the hungry members.
Well, when Kate O'Connor first took this honorable position, she used
to indulge in a little peculiarity of her own. This can only be spoken
of as retiring into her castle in Spain. Kate lives in her own special
castle in Spain most of her time. Oh, how happy she was in her castle,
and how we suffered! It is not considered correct at St. Dorothy's
to ask the head to feed the members. The head must think of that for
itself. Well, this head being high up in its castle, forgot all about
us and our hunger, and oh, didn't we starve, and didn't we growl! It is
all over now: we took her out of her castle in private; we won't tell
you how we did that. Kate, my dear, you needn't blush; we have forgiven
you."
"Beware, Amy; don't add another word," interrupted Kate. "Think of the
water-jug and the wet sponge. Remember that you are sleeping in the
dormitory at present, and that my cubicle is only two doors away from
yours. Oh, I say nothing, but I mean a good deal."
The rest of the meal passed with much mirth and hilarity. Kate's table
was certainly the merriest in the room. Hester Temple did not belong
to it. Molly did not know if she were glad or sorry. Hester puzzled
her--she was not quite certain whether she liked her or not, but her
whole heart had gone out to Kate O'Connor on the spot.
When supper came to an end--and the meal did not last very long--the
girls all trooped into the great drawing room. Here a beautiful square
of Indian carpet was hastily rolled up and an impromptu dance began.
Kate opened a piano and began to play waltzes. The girls quickly found
partners, and were soon revolving round and round. The barn-dance
followed, and others. Molly could dance beautifully, and Amy Frost
begged to be her partner.
When the dance came to an end a few girls still lingered in the room,
but most went away to their private studies. Miss Leicester returned
to the drawing room about ten o'clock. She then led the way into the
dining hall, where all the members of the house, including servants,
stood in rows. The principal read a psalm, which was followed by a
collect; she then bade her assembled pupils a hearty "good-night."
"Come along, Molly. I was your first friend, so I will take you back to
your room," said Hester Temple. "By the way, you are lucky to have a
room to yourself. I also have a room, but it is a very small one. Kate
O'Connor, Amy Frost, Annie Sinclair, and several others sleep in the
big dormitory at the top of the house. I see you have taken to Kate.
Let me give you a hint as to the way in which you can oblige her."
[Illustration: "AND HERE IS THE ROMP OF THE HOUSE, KATE O'CONNOR."]
"I should love to oblige her."
Hester laughed.
"Didn't I say you would enthuse?" she answered. "You might be Irish
yourself, by the way you go on, and by the emphasis you put upon
certain words. You'd love to oblige a girl you never saw before in
the whole course of your life! Well, poor Kate is ambitious and
clever--indeed, I may add that in some respects she is brilliant. She
takes up life here from a serious point of view. There are scholarships
given at Redgarth, and she is studying very hard to obtain one. The
Ford Scholarship is to be competed for before Christmas. She finds it
hard to prepare for such a serious examination in the room with a lot
of other girls. You might ask her to be your chum, and to share this
dear little study every evening with you. She'd love you forever if you
did. Kate would rather die than ask you, but if you will, I'll run up
at once and tell her."
"Oh, I would with pleasure," said Molly, "only--only for Cecil."
"Who, in the name of fortune, is Cecil?"
"My greatest, best friend. She is coming here, I trust and hope, in a
week or two."
"Your greatest, best friend!" repeated Hester. "I give you up, Molly
Lavender; your enthusiasm quite crushes me."