THE ORDEAL AND THE VICTIM
Christian's head ached; she had gone through a good deal that day.
At Penwerne Manor, for all except the Sixth Form girls, supper was a
very simple affair. It was held in the refectory at half-past seven,
and consisted of bread and butter, stewed fruit, and milk. Christian
sat down to the simple meal, but she was not hungry. For the first
time she was absolutely thrown on her own resources. Louisa Twining,
being one of the Sixth Form girls, was not present at the other girls'
supper. Christian's bodyguard was also nowhere to be seen. She sat near
a quiet-looking girl of the name of Agnes Temple, but Agnes seemed as
much afraid of Christian as Christian was of her, and did not venture
to question her at all.
As soon as supper was over the young girl went up to Miss Jessie, who
was standing at the top of the room.
"Are you cold, Christian?" said Miss Jessie. "Come and warm yourself by
the fire."
"I wanted to know," said Christian, "if I might go to bed; I am tired."
"Certainly, if you like."
But as Miss Jessie spoke she glanced round the room. Suddenly a tall,
awkward-looking girl, whom Christian had not noticed before, stood up.
"Has Christian Mitford asked to retire nearly an hour before the usual
time?" was her query.
"Certainly, Sukey; and seeing that she is very tired, I am about to
give her leave."
"But I am afraid that I, Susan Marsh, and Maud Thompson and Mary
Hillary and Janet Bouverie, as well as several others in the school,
cannot give Christian Mitford leave to go to bed without the usual
ceremony being gone through."
Christian looked with some amazement first at the tall girl, then at
Miss Jessie. To her surprise, she noticed that Miss Jessie's face
got very red and then very white. The little lady went quickly down
the length of the room, and laying a hand on Susan Marsh's shoulder,
whispered something in her ear. She had to stand on tiptoe to make her
remark, and Susan looked down at her and shook her head gravely. Miss
Jessie then turned to the other girls, who also shook their heads. By
and by the little lady had to go back again to Christian.
"It can't be helped, Christian, dear," she said. "Every girl goes
through it; it is a sort of ordeal which seems to be part and parcel of
the Manor. I can, if you wish it, apply to Miss Peacock; but I think
I would rather not, and if you are wise you will not do so. It would
squash the whole thing, but it would not be for your best happiness."
"Oh, I am not afraid--not really," said Christian; "and please don't
say anything to Miss Peacock."
"You are a good girl. Now, the best thing you can do is to appear quite
indifferent; then they won't get much fun out of you, and you will be
all right."
"What is that about Christian, and having much fun, and being all
right?" suddenly said a gay voice; and Star Lestrange, in a pale-blue
frock, looking as pretty as a girl could look, danced into the room.
"The usual thing; you know all about it," said Miss Jessie.
"Of course I do; and so does Lucy Norris, and so does Jane Price, and
so does Angela Goring."
"So many," said Miss Jessie in a tone of relief.
"Yes, Jessie, my honey, so you may go to bed with an easy mind; your
new fledgling won't come to any harm. Now, come along, Christian.
You have us four to look after you. We can't appear publicly as your
bodyguard, but see if you won't feel our influence."
Christian, in her relief, almost squeezed Star's hand.
"Don't," said Star, who seemed to read her thought in her eyes. "It's
not the fashion at Penwerne Manor to show much outward affection. I
mean we never kiss, and we don't clasp arms much, or anything of that
sort--not until we turn ourselves into what we call 'loverettes.'
Sometimes two girls make a great friendship and declare it publicly in
the school; then they're dubbed 'loverettes' by their fellows, and are
allowed to sit alone, and walk about arm in arm. But that sort of thing
doesn't often happen; and, for my part," continued Star, "I hate it."
"And yet I should have thought you were very affectionate," said
Christian.
"Should you?" answered Star, favoring her with a full glance, which
caused the young girl to shrink into her shoes.
In the corridor outside Susan Marsh was waiting. She had the most
peculiar face Christian had ever seen in her life. It was not only
plain, it was downright ugly; there was not one feature in harmony
with another. She was very tall and very awkward in her movements. Her
complexion was of a dull mud color; her hair was a dull, very light
brown; her eyes were small, her nose broad at the nostrils and very
_retroussé_, her mouth wide. She had good teeth, but otherwise scarcely
a redeeming feature. The expression of her face was as little pleasing
as were her features. Nevertheless this girl had an extraordinary power
over her fellows; she was never seen without a following, and many a
little girl looked at her with a mingling of awe and terror as she
waited now for Christian.
"So you are coming, Star," she said. "Well so much the better; we'll
have some fun. Cheer up, victim; it's your night to go through the
ceremony."
"But what is it?" said Christian.
"You will know, my pretty victim, when the time comes. We always have
it in the big attic. It is great fun; it is the most delightful time
in our lives. We were all very keen for your arrival, but you don't
suppose it was simply for the sake of enjoying the first night of your
sweet society? Nothing of the kind. It was on account of the ordeal.
The ordeal is such fun!"
"Don't mind half she is saying," said Star Lestrange. "But come along,
Christian. It is quite true; there is an ordeal, and you must go
through it before you can really be what we pride ourselves on being--a
Penwernian."
They now turned and went upstairs, past the nice rooms where the girls'
bedrooms were located, and up again some narrow stairs, until, having
opened an attic door, Christian found herself in a huge attic which
ran right across the front of the house. This room had evidently been
got ready for a ceremony. Candles in tin sconces were arranged along
the wall; each sconce was fastened in its place by a small tack, and
as the girls entered a short, very dark, stoutly built girl was going
from one to the other lighting them. When the illumination was at last
complete, from twenty to thirty candles were burning in the front attic.
Christian had a curious feeling that she was back again in the attic
at home. When she got upstairs her fears suddenly left her. She was to
be the heroine of probably a very disagreeable adventure, but had she
not herself from her earliest days encountered adventures of all sorts
in the attic at home? What thrilling moments had not her dolls lived
through? What times of ecstasy had been hers when she was Joan of Arc!
Oh, that night when she had imagined herself tied to the stake! Had
she not really tied herself to the post of the old bedstead, and had
she not crowded round her torn pieces of paper, and shut her eyes, and
tried to imagine the upward ascent of the flames? Had she not, finally,
almost screamed in her agony, for had not real pains taken possession
of her, so vivid and intense had been her imagination?
"After all," she said to herself, "I have my bodyguard, and they do
look faithful, and nothing can be worse than what I lived through in
imagination before now."
When Christian's eyes grew accustomed to the gloom she perceived that
every single girl in the school, except three or four of the sixth
form, was present. They seemed to her to have augmented in numbers, and
to be a great deal more than the forty girls she had been told lived at
Penwerne Manor. They stood about in groups, and all looked eager and
pleased.
Christian noticed that a large wooden bowl had been placed upon the
ground almost in the center of the attic, and a little straw chair, of
a twisted, crooked, rickety, and decrepit nature, stood within a few
feet of the wooden bowl. She herself remained near the door, and she
was surprised as she entered the room to notice that Star Lestrange
immediately left her and walked right across the attic to the farther
end, where she sat down on a turned-up box.
Very soon quick steps were heard running upstairs, and Lucy Norris,
looking more smooth and sleek and satiny than ever, joined Star on her
box. Jane Price was already standing near, and Angela Goring was the
last to arrive. None of the four glanced at Christian, who remained
alone, and looking thoroughly miserable, near the door. All of a sudden
she felt that she had been subjected to a hoax, and that her bodyguard
meant to desert her.
Meanwhile Susan Marsh took her place in the center of the room. She
mounted a box, said something to Maud in a low tone, and then Maud took
her place by her side.
"All present?" she cried. "Ah, yes! I see. Agnes Temple, stand to one
side; you are disgracefully late. Yes, we are all here--all except
Louisa Twining, Mary Reid, and Philippa Dawson. Well, the Sixth Form
must have its privileges. Now to begin. Who is giving the address
to-night? It's your turn, Star, and you are always witty. We want
something to stir us up; we're a bit dull, I take it. Come along, now.
What, you won't?"
"Not to-night," said Star.
"Does that mean that the new girl, the victim, is your special friend?"
Star shook her head.
"Or your special enemy?"
Again the bright head was shaken.
"She's neuter," said Star; "although I mean to see justice done."
"Then it devolves upon me," said Susan, "to open the function. I must
explain the rules of the society to the victim. Victim, kindly step
forward. Seat yourself in this wriggly arm-chair, fix your eyes on my
face, and listen to the words of deep, Solomon-like wisdom that drop
from my lips."
Christian dropped into the chair, and the other girls looked at her
with amazement and admiration. Many a girl before her had wriggled in
agony in that small chair, had blushed and quivered and trembled, but
Christian's face was quite calm. She looked full up at Susan and smiled.
Nothing in all the world could have been more discomfiting to Susan
Marsh than that smile. It was seen by every single girl in the room,
and quite a burst of admiration came from Star Lestrange, Lucy Norris,
Jane Price, and Angela. Star clapped her hands, and immediately the
whole school took up the clap. This from every girl in the place showed
that Christian had made a favorable impression.
"Come, come!" said Susan brusquely, and looking more disagreeable than
ever; "this noise is very much against the rules. Even those girls who
have lived through the ordeal must not disturb the usual proceedings.
Now then, Christian Mitford, your age, please?"
"Thirteen," said Christian.
"When will you have a birthday?"
"In three months' time."
"Mary Hillary, pray note in the archives of this society that the new
victim, Christian Mitford, is thirteen years and nine months of age."
Mary, who was standing by a sort of little desk, opened it, took out a
paper volume of most disreputable appearance, opened it, made an entry,
with a sort of giggle, and then stood silent.
"It is your penalty, Christian Mitford, to put into the wooden bowl
that lies at your feet a large caramel, fondant, or chocolate for
each month of your life. Who will solve the riddle of the months of
Christian Mitford's life?"
Star immediately cried out:
"One hundred and sixty-five months."
"To that great age have you attained, Christian Mitford, and your
penalty is that, having lived so long in the world, you must place
upon the altar of our friendship a lollypop or other sweet for each of
your months. You do this for the good of the community. The penalty is
slight, and not at all in accordance with the offense."
"But I can't imagine what the offense is," said Christian suddenly. "As
to having lollypops, there is a large box in my bedroom, and you are
all welcome to have them if you like."
At this minute Star rose, and turning to Lucy, Jane, and Angela,
motioned to them to follow her. The four girls came forward in single
file, and each dropped on one knee before Christian and laid a box of
chocolates at her feet.
"We are proud to be your ministers on this occasion," said Star, "and
we have brought the penalty which you in your ignorance knew nothing
about."
"I don't call that at all fair," cried Susan. "We all know that if a
girl can't offer the necessary confectionery she has to give another
forfeit of a different nature, and that forfeit is often of greater
value to the society. But there!" she added, seeing that Star frowned,
"if we must submit, I suppose we must. Be thankful to your ministers,
therefore, Christian Mitford. Take up the sweets and deposit them in
the bowl, but be sure you have the right number. Be sure you have one
hundred and sixty-five sweetmeats--one for each month of your life."
Christian took up the boxes and unfastened them. Several girls crowded
round as she reckoned them out and placed them in the bowl. Susan stood
by counting with her lips as Christian deposited the sweets in their
receptacle.
"So far so good," she said. "The fact of your having paid this forfeit
exonerates you from other unpleasantnesses which certainly would have
been your lot had those four girls, Star Lestrange, Lucy Norris, Jane
Price, and Angela Goring, not come to the rescue. But now we have
other matters to attend to. You know--or, if you don't know, you must
be told--that any girl who comes to Penwerne Manor and doesn't enter
into our secret society is outside in every sense of the word. She
may be loved by her teachers--such a thing is quite possible--but she
certainly will not be loved by the girls. She will not be allowed
to share in any of the real conviviality of the school--the secret
banquets, for instance. Now, girls, can any of you give a description
of what the secret banquets are really like?"
Star jumped to her feet and began to speak eagerly.
"They're very naughty," she said. "They are conducted without our
teachers knowing anything about them. They occur once a month--here.
We generally assemble about half-past ten at night, and go back to
our rooms about half-past eleven. We collect during the month for the
expenses of the banquet. Our food is generally brought in by means of a
basket and a rope through the attic window. The fun of the thing is to
do it secretly. We try not to be too naughty, but we certainly have a
gay time."
"It sounds interesting," said Christian, who felt that she could enjoy
it; "but does Miss Peacock know?"
"Does Miss Peacock know?" suddenly exclaimed Maud Thompson, raising
her voice for the first time, and giving Christian an angry look. "I'd
like to see the girl who would tell Miss Peacock. Jessie knows; but
then nobody minds Jessie. The other teachers don't know, and I trust
never will. Mademoiselle is an old horror. We have to keep it from
Mademoiselle, whatever happens."
"Now, you, Christian Mitford," continued Susan, "can, if you like,
remain outside the society; but of course you will not."
"No, Christian," said Star; "you must join."
"And having joined, you must adhere to the rules," said Susan. "Now, to
make the ceremony of membership of value, we always tattoo a tiny mark
on the arm of a new member. We do this with nitrate of silver, a small
bottle of which is kept up here. It hardly hurts at all, and if the
victim objects----"
"Certainly, if you object, Christian, it is not to be done," said Star;
"but," she added, with a laugh, "you had much better submit."
"I don't mind a bit," said Christian. "I have gone through worse things
than that," she added.
Susan's eyes brightened and grew suddenly big. She fastened them on the
young girl's face.
"I haven't the least doubt," she said, "that you will be an
acquisition. You seem to have courage. Some girls get in such a funk."
"But I won't join," said Christian firmly, "until I know what it means."
"It means that we are to stick to each other through thick and thin;
that you are never to tell; that when the members of the committee--I
am one, Star Lestrange is another, Angela Goring is another, and Janet
Bouverie is another--that when we decide on a certain mode of action
all the members have to adhere to it. They have to follow in our lead
and submit to our dictum. Fresh members are elected on the committee
every half-year, and on that day, the ceremony is very important
indeed. The girls greatly like the present set--don't you, girls?"
There was a loud cheer, particularly in the neighborhood of Star
Lestrange. Susan looked round her and slightly frowned.
"Each member has to subscribe something out of her own private
pocket-money once a week to the funds of the society," said Susan; "and
if possible she ought to begin with a handsome donation. What can you
afford, Christian Mitford? You look as though you had plenty of money.
I hope you will be able to put a good sum into the funds."
"A shilling is the usual thing," called out Star across the room.
"It would be better for you to give more," said Susan, gazing at
Christian uneasily.
"I will give five shillings."
"Naughty, naughty little t'ing," said Star's ventriloquist voice over
Christian's head.
"You really can't be allowed to break the rules in this fashion, even
if you are a member of the committee, Star Lestrange," said Susan. "We
shall be glad of five shillings, Christian. You don't seem to be such a
formidable person nor so badly behaved as I expected. We will now, if
you please, perform the ceremony of initiation."
The girls crowded round. Susan came forward.
"On this occasion," she said, "you, Maud Thompson, will perform the
ceremony on Christian's arm."
Christian bared her arm, and Maud, with a tiny caustic pencil, wrote
the word "Penwernian" in very small letters just above her elbow. The
caustic smarted slightly, but the pain was nothing to speak of.
"Now," continued Maud, "you belong to us, Christian Mitford--or at
least you very nearly do. You have still to write your name in blood in
this book. Don't be startled; just prick your finger. Here's the needle
we always use for the purpose. Shall I do it for you?"
Before Christian could reply Maud made a sharp prick on her first
finger, and a large drop of blood appeared. The pen was then put into
Christian's hand, and she wrote her name in the members' book.
"Now you belong to our secret society," continued Maud. "You know what
we know; you do what we do. Through thick and thin you will be faithful
to us; through trouble and joy you belong to us. You would sooner have
your heart cut into little bits than betray us. Very well, that is all
right. Now begins the real pleasure of the evening. Girls," continued
Maud, turning and facing the other girls as they crowded round her, "it
is permitted, in honor of the new member, that the caramels, fondants,
etc., put into that wooden bowl should now be divided. Long life to the
new member. Christian, you as fresh member are permitted to eat one
month of your life."
"Really," said Christian, laughing, "this sounds very formidable. I
don't know that I want to eat away any part of my life."
She thought the ceremony had come to an end, and was rather relieved
than otherwise; but her happiness was short-lived, for Susan came over
and said calmly:
"Now then, be as quick as you can and give us an account of why you
were unavoidably detained. Your unavoidable detention has been the talk
of the school for the last fortnight. Now, we want to learn all about
you; for understand, it is absolutely necessary that each member of
our secret society should have the full confidence of all the other
members. The sooner, therefore, you begin to tell us your life's
history the better."