CHERRY-COLORED RIBBONS.
The day of the Cherry Feast dawned bright and glorious. The girls
awoke in the early morning of that splendid summer day, feeling that
something very delightful was about to happen. One after another they
peeped out and saw the sun on the grass and heard the birds sing and
felt the soft zephyrs of the summer breeze blowing on their cheeks.
Then they returned back again to their different little beds in their
different dormitories, and remarked with intense satisfaction that the
long wished-for day had come, and that to-morrow they were all going
home--home for the holidays. Could anything be more fascinating,
stimulating, and delightful? And each girl hoped to go back again to
the beloved home with honor, for Mrs. Clavering had a wonderful way
with her pupils, a very stimulating way, and she so arranged her prizes
and her certificates that no girl who had really worked, who had really
taken pains, was excluded from distinction. It was only the hopelessly
idle, the hopelessly disobedient, who could leave Cherry Court School
without some token of its mistress's sympathy, regard, and
encouragement.
Kitty Sharston was too new a scholar to expect to get any reward in the
ordinary sense of this term, but, all the same, she had worked fairly
well, and during the last three weeks had tackled her studies and
regulated her conduct like a veritable little Trojan. Every moment of
Kitty's day was now marked out. There was never an instant that she
was off guard with regard to herself; there was no time left in her
busy life for reckless speeches and reckless deeds. The goal set
before her was such a high one, the motive to struggle for pre-eminence
was so strong, that Kitty was quite carried along by the current. Her
natural keen intelligence stood her in good stead, her marks for
punctuality, for neatness, for early rising were all good, and she had
little, very little fear of the results of this afternoon's brief
examination.
The examination was to be very short, and was to be conducted on this
special occasion by no less a person than Sir John Wallis himself.
Mrs. Clavering having reckoned up the marks, Mademoiselle Le Brun
having given her testimony, Fraulein having given hers, and the English
teachers having further testified to the industry of the pupils, the
girls of the Upper school were to pass muster before Sir John, who was
to decide without prejudice in favor of the lucky three who alone were
to compete for the great Scholarship in October.
Florence and Kitty were in the same class in school, and up to the date
of the offering of the Scholarship had been excellent friends. They
were still friends as far as Kitty was concerned, for she was a
generous-hearted girl, and although the winning of the prize meant
everything almost in her life, did another girl take it from her fairly
and honorably in open fight, she would resign it without a trace of
ill-will or any sore feeling towards the winner. But there were things
in Florence's life which made her now look aloof at Kitty. She had
been receiving letters from her mother, and the mother had been asking
the girl strange questions, and Mrs. Aylmer was not a woman of lofty
principle nor of strong courage, and some of the jealous thoughts in
Florence's heart had been fanned into flame by her mother's injudicious
words. So on the day of the great Cherry Feast she awoke with a
headache, and, turning away from Kitty, who looked at her with anxious,
affectionate eyes, she proceeded to dress quickly and hurried off to
the school-room.
The dormitory in which Kitty slept was a long, low room with a sloping
roof. It ran the whole width of the house, and was occupied by Kitty
herself, by Mabel and Alice Cunningham, by Edith King, and by Florence
Aylmer. Each girl had her little cubicle or division curtained off
from her fellows, where she could sleep and where she could retire, if
necessary, into a sort of semi-solitude. But one-half of the dormitory
was open to all the girls, and they often drew their curtains aside and
chatted and talked and laughed as they dressed and undressed, for Mrs.
Clavering, contrary to most of the school-mistresses of her day, gave
her girls a certain amount of liberty. They were not, for instance,
required to talk French in the dormitories, and they were always
allowed, provided they got into bed within certain limits and dressed
within certain limits, to have freedom when in their rooms. They never
dreamt of abusing these privileges, and better, healthier, brighter
girls could not be found in the length and breadth of England.
"Well, I am glad the day has come at last," said Edith, as she rose
that morning with a yawn. "Oh, dear, and it's going to be splendid,
too. Kitty, what dress are you going to wear at the festival to-night?"
Kitty replied with a smile that she meant to wear her Indian muslin.
"And have you got your cherry-colored ribbons?" said Edith; "we all
wear bunches of cherry ribbons in the front of our dresses and tying
back our hair. Have you got yours, Kitty?"
"Yes," replied Kitty; "father sent me a quantity of cherry-colored
ribbons last week."
She hardly ever mentioned her father's name, and the girls did not like
to question her. Now she turned her head aside, and proceeded hastily
with her dressing.
"Well, it is going to be a splendid day," said Alice, "and, you know,
there are no lessons of any sort; all the examinations are over and the
results will be known to-night; the day is to be a long and happy
one--no lessons, nothing to do except to wander about and please
ourselves; pack our trunks, of course, which will be truly a delightful
occupation. Think of the joys of the evening and the further delights
of to-morrow. I expect to reach home about six o'clock in the evening.
When will you get to your place, Edith?"
"A little later than you," replied Edith, "for it is farther away, but
father and mother have promised to come and meet me at Canterbury. I
shall reach Canterbury about six o'clock in the evening. We have ten
miles to drive then, so I don't suppose I shall be home till half-past
seven. The boys are going to make a bonfire; there is to be no end of
fun--there always is when I come home for the summer holidays."
Kitty gave a faint sigh and there came a cruel pang at her heart. She
and Florence Aylmer were to spend the holidays together. She had tried
to think she would enjoy this solitary time, but in her heart of hearts
she knew that she had to make a great struggle with herself.
"But, never mind," she muttered now softly under her breath, "I shall
spend most of the hours in studying; there is so much to get through
before the Scholarship exam. comes off in October, and I know Florence
will study, too, and, of course, I shan't be at all jealous of her, and
if she does succeed in winning the prize, why, I will just remember
father's words and make the best of things, whatever happens." But the
next moment she was saying fiercely under her breath, "I shall win, I
will win; whatever happens, I will, I must win."
The girls went down to breakfast, which was a very sociable meal that
morning, the English tongue being allowed to be spoken, and the usual
restrictions all being utterly withdrawn.
Florence appeared then and took her place at the table; she looked a
little pale and untidy, and her eyes were red as if she had been
secretly crying. More than one girl glanced at her and wondered what
was the matter. When breakfast was over Kitty went up to Florence,
slipped her hand through her arm, and pulled her out into the sunshine.
"Is anything wrong, Florry?" she said.
"Oh, it's only that beastly mean Aunt Susan," retorted Florence,
shrugging her shoulders.
"Your Aunt Susan?"
"Yes, of course; you have heard me talk of her. I am dependent on her,
you know; oh, it's the most hateful position for any girl!"
"I am very sorry, and I quite understand," said Kitty.
"I don't believe you do; you have never been put in such an odious
plight. For instance, you have cherry-colored ribbons to wear
to-night, have you not?"
"Such beauties," replied Kitty; "father sent them to me a week ago. A
yard and a half to make the bunch for the front of my dress, and a yard
and a half to tie up my hair--three yards; and such a lovely, lovely
color, and such soft ribbon, corded silk on one side, and satin at the
other. Oh, it is beautiful."
"Yes, of course, it is beautiful," said Florence; "you have told us
about those ribbons a great many times." Florence could not help her
voice being tart, and Kitty looked at her in some astonishment.
"But all the same," she said, "you're glad I have got cherry-colored
ribbons, are you not?"
"I don't know," replied Florence, flushing; "I believe I hate you for
having them. There, I'm nothing if I'm not frank."
"You hate me for having them? Oh, Florry, but you cannot be so mean."
"I wrote to Aunt Susan myself--there was no time to tackle her in a
roundabout way through mother. I wrote to her and got her reply this
morning. She sent me--what do you think? Instead of the beautiful
ribbons which I asked for, three yards of which are absolutely
necessary to make even a show of a decent appearance, six stamps! Six
stamps, I assure you, to buy what I could for myself! Did you ever
hear of anything so miserably mean? Oh, I hate her, I do hate her!"
"Poor Florence!" said Kitty; "but you must have the ribbons somehow,
must you not?"
"I must; I dare not appear without. Mademoiselle Le Brun is going into
Hilchester immediately after breakfast, and I am going to ask her to
get me the best she can, but, of course, she will get nothing worth
having for sixpence--a yard and a half at the most of some horrid
cottony stuff which will look perfectly dreadful. It is mean of Aunt
Susan, and you know, Kitty," continued Florence, her tone softening at
the evident sympathy with which Kitty regarded her, "I am always so
shabbily dressed; I wouldn't be a bit bad-looking if I had decent
clothes. I saved up all the summer to have my muslin dress nicely
washed for this occasion, but it's so thick and so clumsy and--oh,
dear! oh, dear! sometimes I hate myself, Kitty, and when I look at you
I hate myself more than ever."
"Why when you look at me? I am very sorry for you, Florence."
"Because you are so generous and so good, and I am just the other way.
But there, don't talk to me any more. I must rush off; I want to have
another look through those geography questions; there is no saying what
Sir John Wallis may question us about to-night, and if I don't get into
the lucky three who are to compete for the Scholarship, I believe I'll
go off my head."
Florence dashed away as she spoke and rushed into the school-room,
slamming the door behind her. Kitty stood for a moment looking after
her. As she did so Mary Bateman, the stolid-looking girl in the Upper
school, came slowly up.
"A penny for your thoughts, Kitty Sharston," she said.
"They are not worth even that," said Kitty. "Where are you going,
Mary?"
"Into the cherry orchard; we are all to pick cherries for to-night's
feast. By the way, will you be my partner in the minuet? You dance it
so beautifully."
Kitty hesitated, and a comical look came into her face.
"You know we are to open the proceedings by dancing the old-fashioned
minuet," continued Mary Bateman; "on the lawn, of course, with the
colored lamps lighting us up. I believe I can do fairly well if I have
you for my partner, for although you are awkward enough you dance
beautifully."
"I'll be your partner if you like," said Kitty, with a sigh, "but look
here, Mary, when is Mademoiselle Le Brun going into Hilchester?"
"I did not know she was going at all," replied Mary; "do you want her
to buy you anything'?"
"I am not quite sure, but I'd like to see her before she goes."
"Well, there she is, and there's the pony cart coming round. I expect
she has to buy a lot of things for Mrs. Clavering. Run up to her if
you want to give her a message, Kitty. Hullo, mademoiselle, will you
wait a minute for Kitty Sharston--she wants to say something to you?"
But Kitty stood still. There was a battle going on in her heart. She
had very little pocket-money, very little indeed, but when her father
was saying good-bye to her he had put two new half-crowns into her hand.
"Keep them unbroken as long as you can, Kitty," he said. "The money
will be something to fall back upon in a time of need." And five
shillings was a large sum for the Major to give Kitty just then, and
Kitty cherished those two half-crowns very dearly, more dearly than
anything else in the world, for they had been her father's last, very
last present to her.
But perhaps the hour of need had come. This was the thought that
darted into her heart, for Florence did want those cherry-colored
ribbons, and Florence's heart was sore, and things were nearly as bad
for her as they were for Kitty herself. Kitty had a brief struggle,
and then she made up her mind.
"One moment, mademoiselle; I won't keep you any time," she called out
to the governess, who nodded back to her with a pleased smile on her
face, for Kitty was a universal favorite.
Then the young girl rushed upstairs to her dormitory, unlocked her
little private drawer, took out her sealskin purse, extracted one of
the new half-crowns, and was down again by the little governess cart,
whispering eagerly to Mademoiselle Le Brun, within the prescribed time.
"All right," said mademoiselle; "I'll do the very best I can."
"And have the parcel directed to Florence," said Kitty, "for I don't
want her to know about my giving it to her; I am sure she would rather
not. If there is any change from the half-crown you can let me have it
back, can you not, mademoiselle?"
"I'll see to that," said mademoiselle; "there is Florence's own
sixpence towards it, you know. Oh I daresay I can give you a shilling
back and get very good ribbon."
"Well, be sure it is soft and satiny and with no cotton in it," called
Kitty again, and then the governess cart rolled down the avenue and was
lost to view.
Notwithstanding that she had only half a crown in that sealskin purse
Kitty felt strangely exultant and happy when she ran back to the cherry
orchard and helped her companions in gathering the ripe fruit.
She had put on a large blue apron, for cherries stain a good deal when
they are as luscious as those in Cherry Court orchard, and quantities
had to be picked, for it was the custom from time immemorial for each
of the guests to take a basket of cherries away with them, and the
baskets themselves--long, low, broad, and ornamental--were filled now
first with cherry-leaves, and then with fruit, by the excited and happy
girls.
After Kitty had spent an hour or two in the cherry orchard she ran into
the house, washed her face and hands, smoothed her hair, and ran down
to the school-room, for she too wanted to look through her examination
papers. They were not difficult, and she was very quick and ready at
acquiring knowledge, and she soon felt certain that she could answer
all the questions, and, having folded them up, she replaced them in her
desk.
It was the custom of the school that each girl should keep her desk
locked, and Kitty now slipped the key of hers into her pocket. As she
did so the door was opened and Florence came in. Florence looked pale
and _distrait_.
"Do you know," she said, "I have got the most racking headache; I
wonder if you would hear me through my English History questions,
Kitty. It would be awfully kind of you. I am so wretched about every
thing and things seem so hopeless, and it is so perfectly miserable to
think of spending all the holidays here, for I don't believe Mrs.
Clavering is going to take us to the seaside after all. Really, I
think life is not worth living sometimes."
"Oh, but it is," said Kitty, "and we are only preparing for life
now--don't forget that, Florry."
"I can't take a high and mighty view of anything just now," said
Florence; "I am cross, and that's a fact. I wish I wasn't going to the
feast to-night. If it were not for the chance of being one of the
lucky three in the Scholarship competition I wouldn't appear on the
scenes at all, I vow I would not, with that horrid bit of cottony
cherry-colored ribbon--yes, I vow I wouldn't. Why, Kitty, how you have
stained your dress; you must have knelt on a cherry when you were
picking them just now in the orchard."
"So I have; what a pity!" said Kitty. She glanced down at the deep red
stain, and then added, "I'll run upstairs presently and wash it out."
"Well, don't catch cold, whatever you do. But stay, won't you first
hear me my English History questions?"
Kitty immediately complied. Yes, Florence was stupid; she did not half
know her questions; her replies were wide of the mark. Kitty felt at
first distressed and then very determined.
"Look here, Florence," she said, "this will never do; you must work
through that portion of English History all the afternoon, and I will
help you to the very best of my ability. I happen to know the time of
Queen Elizabeth so well, for it was a favorite time with my father. He
always loved those old stories of the great worthies who lived in the
time of Queen Elizabeth. Yes, I'll help you. Shall we read these
chapters of history together this afternoon?"
"I cannot, I cannot," said Florence. "My head aches and everything
seems hopeless. Why, if that is so, Kitty, I shan't even have a chance
of being one of the lucky three."
"Oh, yes, you will--you must," said Kitty. "Half of the pleasure of
the competition would be lost if you and I were not to work together
during the holidays."
"Well, there is something in that," said Florence, brightening as she
spoke. "I forgot when I spoke so dismally that you, too, were to spend
the holidays here. By the way, has your father sailed yet?"
"On Monday last," said Kitty, in a very low voice. She turned her head
aside as she spoke.
"I believe you are the bravest girl in the world," said Florence,
stoutly; "but there, you are a great deal too good for me. I wish you
were naughty sometimes, such as you used to be, daring and a little
defiant and a little indifferent to rules, but you are so changed since
the Scholarship has come to the fore. Does it mean a great deal to
you, Kitty?"
"I can't talk of it," said Kitty, "I'd rather not; we are both to try
for it; I believe it means a great deal to us both."
"It means an immensity to me," said Florence.
"Then it is not fair for us to talk it over when we are both going to
try our hardest to win it, are we not?"
"If that is the case why do you help me with my English History?"
"Because I should like you to be one of the lucky three."
"Are you certain? Although I don't know this history very well, I
shall be a dangerous rival, that I promise."
"I don't care; I mean to win if I can, but I should like to compete
with you," said Kitty, stoutly.
At that moment the sounds of wheels in the avenue was heard, and a
moment or two afterwards Mademoiselle Le Brun entered the school-room
and put a little parcel into Florence's hand.
"There, my dear," she said.
Florence let it lie just where it was.
"Thank you," she answered; "you did your best?"
"Yes, dear, I did my best."
The governess left the room without even glancing at Kitty. Kitty felt
herself coloring; she bent low, allowing her curly hair to fall over
her face and forehead.
A moment later there came an exclamation from Florence.
"Oh, I say, Kitty, what does this mean--look, do look!"
Kitty looked up. The flush had left her face now, and it was cool and
composed as usual.
"Why, Florry," she exclaimed, "she has got you three yards, and it is
absolutely beautiful, satiny and smooth, and not a scrap of cotton in
the ribbon, and such a sweet color. What does it mean?"
"Kitty, do you understand?" said Florence.
"I am so glad you have got it," said Kitty, in a quiet voice; "yes, it
is lovely ribbon; perhaps they had a cheap sale or something."
"Perhaps," said Florence, "but all the same I don't believe this ribbon
could have been bought for twopence a yard. I must speak to
mademoiselle; she could not--oh, no, no, that is
impossible--mademoiselle is very poor and stingy--but what does it
mean?"
"It means that you are going to wear cherry-colored ribbons to-night,
doesn't it?" said Kitty, "and now cheer up, do, Florry, and work away
at your history. I must run off now to wash my hands before dinner."