Now Nesta was perhaps the naughtiest of the three Aldworth girls. She
had been more spoiled than the others, and was naturally of a somewhat
braver and more determined nature. She was fully resolved that nothing
would really induce her to give up her walk with Flossie Griffiths.
Flossie was her dearest friend. Between Flossie and Nesta had sprung up
that sort of adoring friendship that often exists between two young
girls in that period of their lives. Flossie and Nesta declared that
they thought alike, that when a thought darted through the brain of one,
it immediately visited the other. Every idea was in common; all their
plans were made to suit the convenience of each other. Nesta used to
say that Flossie was like her true sister, for her own sisters were of
course absorbed in each other.
"There are Molly and Ethel, they are always hugger-muggering," she used
to say. "What should I do but for my Flossie? I am quite happy because
I have got my Flossie."
Therefore, to have to tell her that she could not walk with her, could
not confide secrets to her, could not be so much in her company just
because there was a tiresome old mother at home, who ought to be nursed
by an equally tiresome elder sister, a confirmed old maid, was more than
Nesta could brook. She had made up her mind, therefore, what she would
do. She would not confide her scheme to her sisters, but after dinner,
instead of going to her mother's room, she would slip out of the house,
rush down a side path in the garden, get into the wood, and go off to
Flossie's house. The idea had come into her venturesome brain that
morning; but she was quite cautious enough to keep it to herself. She
knew well that with regard to such an escapade she would have no
sympathy from her elder sisters. They were highly pleased with the
complete day of liberty which lay before them. They had planned it
delightfully. They were resolved to ask the Carters to have tea with
them in the summerhouse at the far end of the garden. They had so often
been at the Carters' house, now it would be their turn to entertain
them, and they should have a right good time. They had coaxed Susan,
the parlour maid, into their conspiracy, and Susan had proved herself
agreeable. She said that hot cakes and several dainty sweets should be
forthcoming, and that the two Miss Carters should have as good a tea as
she and cook could devise between them.
"But not a word to Marcia," said Molly, "and for goodness' sake, not a
word to Nesta. She is so greedy that she would be capable of coming
down and helping herself to the things in the pantry if she knew."
Nesta did know, however; for nothing ever went on in that house that she
did not contrive to learn all about, but as she herself had a scheme
quite ripe for action, she was determined to leave her sisters alone.
"One of them will have to go to mother," she thought, "and goodness me
what a fuss there'll be. Of course, mother can't be left alone, and I
cannot be got back in a hurry, particularly when Flossie and I'll be out
and away the very minute I get to her house. Marcia is going by train
to visit that tiresome Angela St Just. I heard her telling father so
this morning. I wouldn't be in Molly's shoes, or in Ethel's shoes.
Yes, it will be Molly's turn--I wouldn't be in Molly's shoes. Dear,
dear! What fun it is! It is quite exciting, we live in a continual
sort of battle, each of us dodging the others."
Nesta had to be very careful, and to keep the watchful eyes of her
companions from fixing themselves too much on her face.
Marcia came down to lunch that day neatly dressed, with her hat on.
"Did you leave mother to put your hat on?" asked Ethel, in a vindictive
tone.
"No, mother helped me to dress. She was most particular. She has very
good taste when she likes."
"She is everything that is good; don't run her down to us," said Molly.
They had, it may be perceived, almost dropped the Coventry system. It
was tiresome and uninteresting when nobody took any notice of it.
"Nesta, dear," said Marcia during lunch, "you will be very careful about
mother. I think you are going to have a nice afternoon. I have left
her so well and comfortable, and so inclined to enjoy herself."
"Oh, yes," said Nesta.
"That's a good girl," said Marcia. "I see by your face that you are
going to make us all happy."
"I hope so," replied Nesta.
These remarks would have aroused the suspicions of Molly and Ethel on
another occasion, for they would have considered them wonderfully unlike
the pert Nesta; but they were absorbed by the thought of their own tea
party, and took no notice.
Marcia had to hurry through her lunch in order to catch her train. She
told her sisters she would be back about nine o'clock that evening and
went away.
"Now, Nesta, it is your turn," said Molly. "You ought to be going to
mother. Do go along and make yourself scarce. Do your duty; it's no
use grumbling. She's off now for her fill of pleasure, and we cannot
get her back. Horrid, mean, spiteful old cat!"
"You can't be called Miss Mule Selfish for nothing, can you?" said
Nesta.
Molly laughed at this.
"Doesn't it sound funny?" she said. "I'll tell--"
She stopped herself. She was about to say that she would tell the
Carters, who would keenly relish the joke.
Nesta slipped out of the room. She had already secreted her hat under
the stairs. It was soon on her head, and a minute or two later she had
dashed down the sidewalk, passed through the wicket gate, and was away
through the woods.
The Griffiths lived about three-quarters of a mile away. They were not
rich like the Carters, but they had a little house in the opposite
suburb of the town, a little house with a fairly big garden, and with
woods quite near. Flossie was an only child; she was a great pet with
her father and mother, whom she contrived completely to turn round her
little finger.
She was standing now at the gate, waiting anxiously for the moment when
her darling Nesta would arrive. She and Nesta were to go for a picnic
all by themselves to a distant ruin. Flossie was to bring the eatables;
Nesta knew nothing of this delectable plan, for Flossie had resolved to
keep it a secret all to herself. But now, with her basket packed--that
basket which contained tea, milk, sugar, various cakes, a small pot of
jam, some bread, and a little pat of butter, as well as a second basket
filled with ripe gooseberries--she anxiously waited for her visitor.
By-and-by Nesta was seen. She was running, and looked very untidy, and
not like her usually spruce self.
"Dear, dear!" called out Flossie. "How do you do, Nesta? What in the
world is the matter? You haven't put on your best frock or anything."
"I'm very lucky to be here at all," said Nesta. "For goodness' sake
don't speak to me for a minute, until I have got back my breath. I have
run all the way, and I am choking--oh, my heart will burst."
"Lean against me," said Flossie.
Nesta flung herself against her friend. Flossie was slender and dark,
with very curly hair. Nesta was a large girl, built on a generous
scale. When she flung herself now against poor Flossie, the latter
almost staggered.
"Oh, come," said Flossie, "not quite so violent as that. Here, let us
flop down under this tree. You can take your breath and tell me what it
is all about."
"Oh, I can't," said Nesta, who was beginning to recover herself already.
"We must be off as fast as possible. Oh, I have had a time of it
coming to you. Goodness gracious me, whatever is that?"
She pointed to the tea basket.
"We're going to Norland's Cliff, you and I, to have tea all by
ourselves. Isn't it prime? Isn't it golloptious?" said Flossie.
"Flossie! Has your mother said you might?"
"Yes, yes, of course, she has. I asked her this morning, and she said:
`Certainly, dear.'"
"But I thought there were donkey races there to-day."
"There are; but I didn't say a word about that to mother. She never
guessed. Luckily, father was out of the room. It will be much more fun
going there to-day, for we'll see the races; that is if we are quick.
But I'm sure, Nesta, I did think you'd come looking a little bit smart,
and you've got your very oldest hat on too, and that dress."
"Oh, if you're ashamed of me," began Nesta, tears springing to her blue
eyes--they could always rise there at a moment's warning.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, dear," said Flossie, who was really deeply
attached to her friend; "but whatever is it?"
"You must take me as I am, or I'll go home again if you like," said
Nesta. "It would be much better for me to go home. I wouldn't get into
quite such an awful row as I shall get into all for love of you, if I
went home now. I'll go if you wish. I'll just be in time to escape the
very worst of the fuss. What am I to do, dear?"
"Never mind about your dress. I'd lend you something of mine, only you
are twice as big."
"Well, I'll carry this basket," said Nesta, picking up the tea basket.
"Now, do let us go; I shan't have an easy moment until we are well out
of sight of the house."
The girls walked on briskly. They had, for some time, to walk along the
dusty road, but soon they came to a stile which led across some fields,
delightfully green and inviting looking at this time of the year. The
fields led again into a wood, and this wood, by an upland path, came at
last to Norland's Cliff. Norland's Cliff was the highest point in that
part of the country, and on this eminence had once been built by an
eccentric Sir Guy Norland, a tower. He had built it as a sort of a
vantage tower, in order to see as far round him as possible; but in the
end, in a fit of madness, he had thrown himself from the tower, and his
mangled body was found there on a certain winter's night. Afterwards no
one had gone near the tower except as a sort of show place; and it was,
of course, supposed to be haunted, particularly at night, when Sir Guy
Norland was said to ride round and round on horseback.
But it was a beautiful summer day on the present occasion, and the girls
thought of no ghosts, and when they were in the shelter of the woods
Nesta began to recount her wrongs.
"She has come back, the old spitfire," she said, and she explained the
whole situation.
Flossie was full of commiseration.
"She wanted you to give up your delightful time with me--this Saturday
to which we have been looking forward for such a long time--just to sit
with your mother?"
"That's it, Floss; that's the truth, Floss. Oh, Floss, how am I to bear
it?"
"And you ran away then?"
"Yes, I ran away, I just could do nothing else; I couldn't give up my
afternoon with you. It is all very well to talk of filial affection,
but the deepest affection of my heart is given to you, Floss."
"That's very kind of you," said Flossie, but she did not speak with the
intense rapture that Nesta expected.
"Aren't you awfully, awfully shocked about it all?" said Nesta, noticing
the tone, and becoming annoyed by it.
"I am dreadfully sorry that anything should have occurred to prevent
your coming to me; but it does seem fair that you should sometimes be
with your mother. When my darling old mothery has a headache I like to
sit with her and bathe her forehead with eau de Cologne."
"Oh, that's all very well," said Nesta, "and so would I like to sit with
my dear mothery, if she only had a headache once a month or so; but when
it is every day, and all day long, and all night too, you get about
tired of it."
"I expect you do," said Flossie, who was not at all strong-minded, and
was easily brought round to Nesta's point of view. "Well, at any rate,
here you are, and we'll try and have all the fun we can. Oh, do look at
those donkeys down there, and the crowd of men, and girls and boys.
Isn't it gay?"
"I wonder if we can get into the tower," said Nesta.
"We must get into the tower," remarked Flossie. "I have determined all
along that we will have tea just on the very spot where Sir Guy threw
himself over the wall. I know the very niche. It will seem so exciting
to-night when we are dropping off to sleep. I do like to have a sort of
eerie feeling when I'm in a very snug bedroom, close to my father and
mother, with the door just a teeny bit open between us. I love it. I
wouldn't like it if there was anything to be frightened about, but to
know that you have been close to something queer and uncanny, it makes
you seem to sort of hug yourself up, don't you know the feeling, Nesta?"
"I do, and I don't," said Nesta. "I sleep in the room with Molly and
Ethel, and we always jabber and jabber until we drop asleep. That's
what we do, but we have great fun all the same."
Flossie gave a faint sigh. They approached the tower; but to their
surprise a custodian stood at the entrance and informed the two little
girls that this was a very special show day, and that no one could be
admitted into the tower under the large sum of twopence. Neither Nesta
nor Flossie had brought a farthing with them, and they stood back,
feeling dismayed.
"Never mind," said Nesta, "let us go and have tea in the wood, it will
be just as good fun."
"I suppose it will; only I did want to see the donkey races. Where are
the races, please?" continued Flossie, turning to the man.
But here again disappointment awaited them. They would not be allowed
within sight of the donkey races without paying a penny each.
"I have heaps of money at home," said Flossie, "a whole little savings
bank of pennies."
"And I have half a crown which I have not broken into yet," said Nesta.
"It's too bad."
"Well, we have an excellent tea, and it is very shady and pleasant in
the woods, much better than sitting in your mother's room, getting
scolded," said Flossie, "so do come along and let us enjoy ourselves."