Githa's Secret
With Tony as their bond of union, the amenities between Gwethyn and
Githa still continued. They could hardly be called chums, for they were
never on absolutely familiar terms such as existed between Gwethyn and
Rose Randall. The poor little Toadstool's natural disposition was too
reserved for the frank intimacy common in most schoolgirl friendships.
She rarely gave any confidences, and though she evidently admired
Gwethyn immensely, it was with a funny, dumb sort of attachment that did
not express itself in words. On the subject of her home and her own
private affairs she was generally guarded to a degree. Once only did she
break the ice. In a most unwonted and unusual burst of confidence she
admitted to Gwethyn that she was unhappy about her brother.
"Cedric is at such a horrid school. The head master is a brute! None of
the boys like him, and he's taken a particular spite against Ceddie, and
is absolutely hateful to him. You see, it's mainly a day-school, and
there are only fourteen boarders. Cedric is the eldest of them by three
years, and he thinks it's very hard he should have to keep exactly the
same rules as the little chaps. But Mr. Hawkins won't make any
difference. He treats Ceddie as if he were at a preparatory school. He's
a blustering, bullying, domineering sort of man, very fond of using the
cane. Well, you know a boy of sixteen won't stand all that! Especially
Cedric. He's frightfully proud and independent, and he answers old
Hawkins back, and then there are squalls. Sometimes it gets to such a
pass that Cedric says he'll run away. I really believe he will some day!
It's past all bearing."
"Can't your uncle interfere?" asked Gwethyn.
"It's no use telling Uncle Wilfred. He always says he's not going to
listen to complaints, and that Cedric is quite as well treated at school
as he used to be, and that boys are a soft set nowadays, and haven't the
grit their fathers used to have, and that he doesn't think anything of a
lad who comes whining home after a few strokes with a cane, which are
probably only too well deserved. That stops Cedric's mouth. He can't
bear Uncle to think him a coward. All the same, he's often in a very
tight fix, and I wish we could see some way out of it."
"I suppose your Uncle Wilfred is his guardian?"
"Yes, unfortunately. There's nobody else. We have another uncle, but he
went out to America years and years ago, and we've heard nothing of him.
I wish I knew his address. Perhaps Cedric might have gone to him in
America. Uncle Wilfred is decent enough to me, because I'm a girl, but
he says it's wholesome for boys to be knocked about a little. Sometimes
Aunt Julia says Mr. Hawkins is too strict, but Uncle always stands up
for him and takes his side against Cedric. Aunt is quite kind; she
sends Ceddie cakes and hampers of jam every now and then, but those
don't make up for Mr. Hawkins being such a beast. He and Cedric just
hate each other."
Gwethyn was deeply interested, but could suggest no remedy. There
seemed, indeed, no way out of such a difficult situation. Her warm
sympathy, however, quite touched Githa.
"I never thought you'd care about my affairs," she faltered.
"Care! You silly child! Of course I care," protested Gwethyn. "I'm as
sorry about it as I can be! Why didn't you tell me before?"
"It never struck me to tell you. Uncle Wilfred and Aunt Julia don't care
to hear things, so I thought other people might be the same. Ceddie and
I are nothing to you."
"Yes, you are, and please to remember that in future. I don't want to be
inquisitive and pry into your private concerns, but I'm very interested
in anything you may wish me to know. We can't be friends when you're
such an absolute oyster!"
The poor Toadstool sighed and smiled at the same time. She had been too
afraid of snubs to open her heart readily. Her present outpouring,
though in a sense a relief, was also an effort. Perhaps she thought she
had revealed too much of her home atmosphere, for she closed up again,
and for days Gwethyn could get nothing at all out of her. Fortunately
Gwethyn had the tact to leave her alone and make no attempt to force her
confidence. She realized that such an odd, prickly little character must
be treated with discretion, and that the sympathy which she was burning
to offer was--in certain moods--as likely to offend as to please her
peculiar friend.
For the last three days Githa had been more than usually what the girls
called "toadish". She would speak to nobody, or if baited into words,
her retorts were of a stinging quality, not encouraging to further
conversation. She was late for school one morning, and went off in a
great hurry in the afternoon. In class she seemed preoccupied, and was
several times reprimanded by Miss Andrews for not attending to the
lessons. She took the reproofs rather sulkily. Her form-mates had many
wrangles with her about quite trivial matters.
"You always were a cross little toad, but your temper's got worse than
ever!" declared the outraged Novie Bates, after an unprovoked push from
Githa in the classroom.
"You shouldn't stand in my way then! I wanted to get to my desk!"
retorted the Toadstool snappily, opening the lid about two inches to
slip in a book.
"You're very surreptitious about your precious desk," bantered Lena
Dawson, for the mere sake of teasing. "What have you got inside it?"
For once the pale little face was fiery.
"If you dare to touch my desk!" stamped Githa, in a perfect fury.
Lena had never intended to touch it, but thus challenged, she thought it
rather fun to--as she expressed it--"make Githa let off squibs".
"Hi-cockalorum, what a to-do!" she exclaimed. "I'm janitor this week, my
child, so I've a right to look into anybody's desk if I like, and report
its condition. It's my solemn duty to examine yours now, and see if it
reaches the standard of neatness required--ahem!--in this very select
scholastic establishment. Naturally you don't wish to risk the loss of
an order mark, but duty is duty, my hearty!"
"You blithering idiot!" flared Githa, holding down the lid of her desk,
and pushing Lena away with her elbow.
"Now that's equivalent to assaulting the police! I must trouble you to
show me the inside of this. Will someone please help me?"
Novie Bates and Jess Howard, giggling their hardest, came to Lena's aid.
The three easily pulled Githa aside and flung open the desk. Within were
several paper bags, into which Lena, on a plea of "ex officio", insisted
on peeping.
"Hello! What have we got here? Bread-and-butter! Scraps of meat and
potatoes! Cake! By the Muses, you're having a good old feast! Do you
come and refresh during recreation?"
Githa's flush of colour had faded. Her cheeks were drab again as the
fungus to which Gwethyn had originally compared them. Her dark eyes were
inscrutable.
"It's no business of yours if I do," she parried.
"Oh, certainly not! Munch away as hard as you please, if you like. It
doesn't affect us. We'd willingly spread honey on the bread-and-butter
if it would sweeten your temper."
"There, Lena, let her alone!" pleaded Jess, who thought the teasing had
gone far enough. "If you weren't so touchy, Githa, nobody'd trouble to
bother about you. It's your own fault if you get ragged! Don't be
absurd; we're not going to run away with your precious parcels. You
needn't stand guarding them like an old hen cackling over its eggs."
"Go and have a picnic with them in the garden!" jeered Lena. "Tell
Mother Franklin she doesn't give you enough at dinner-time, and you have
to bring extra supplies to school. She'd not refuse you a second helping
if you asked. Some people have big appetites. It's a silly secret to
make such a fuss about."
"I call it greedy!" scoffed Novie.
On that very same afternoon, between four and five o'clock, Katrine and
Gwethyn were walking together in the orchard. The two often liked to
have a private chat; though Gwethyn chummed with Rose Randall, Katrine
had not made any special friendship among the Sixth, and mostly counted
upon her sister for company. They had kept their adventure at the Grange
to themselves, and they talked of it now as they sauntered between the
apple-trees.
"It's a quaint old house," said Katrine. "We didn't half examine it when
we were there. I should like to look again at that panelling in the
library, and take a rough pencil sketch of it. I believe it's just what
I want for one of my pictures. Shall we scoot and go across the fields?"
"Yes, by all means, if you'll guarantee we'll not get locked up! Mr.
Freeman mightn't be handy a second time."
"Oh, we'll be very careful, and inspect all the door-knobs before we
venture into the rooms! Come along; it will be rather sport!"
Needless to say, Gwethyn acquiesced. The mere fun of dodging the school
authorities and paying a second surreptitious visit to the old Grange
appealed to her; she did not care very much about the artistic merits of
the panels or wish to sketch them. So again the girls climbed the fence
and manoeuvred across the fields under cover of the hedges.
"It looks as if a bicycle had been here lately," said Katrine, examining
some tracks on the gravel as she opened the gate. "Perhaps we shan't
have the place to ourselves to-day."
"Keep a look-out, then. We can soon scoot if necessary."
Observing due caution, they entered the house by the same window as on a
former occasion. Very softly they stole down the passage past the
dining-room. The library door stood ajar, and Katrine pushed it open.
She stopped with an exclamation of surprise. On some upturned boxes at
the far end of the room sat Githa and a boy, who was eating something
hastily out of a paper bag. At the sight of strangers he jumped up with
a wild, hunted look on his face, and unlatching the French window,
disappeared into the garden in the space of a few seconds. Githa had
also sprung to her feet.
"Katrine! Gwethyn! Are you alone, or is Miss Aubrey or anyone with you?"
she faltered.
"All serene! We're quite by ourselves!"
Githa ran promptly to the window.
"Right-o!" she called. "Come back, Ceddie!"
The boy did not reply, and after waiting a little, Githa turned again to
her friends.
"You've plumped upon my secret, so I may as well tell you. I know you
won't give me away?"
"We'd be burnt at the stake first!" protested Gwethyn.
"Well, I dare say you guess that was my brother. Poor old Ceddie! He's
been in fearful trouble, and he's run away from school. He always said
he would, and now he's done it at last. I told you Mr. Hawkins was a
beast. He caught Ceddie smoking a cigarette, and said he meant to make
an example of him. He was just white with passion. He hauled Ceddie into
the big classroom, and made the janitor hold him over a chair, and then
thrashed him simply brutally, before all the school. He gave him
seventeen strokes. Ceddie didn't care so much about the pain--he bore it
like a Stoic; but it was such an indignity to be caned like that--a tall
fellow of sixteen, before all those little boys! He took the first
opportunity and bolted that very evening. He says he'd rather die than
go back to school. I'll try and get him to come in and speak to you."
Githa ran into the garden and apparently used her powers of persuasion
successfully, for after a short time she came back accompanied by her
brother, whom she introduced to her friends. Cedric was rather a
nice-looking lad, painfully shy, however, and much oppressed by the
awkwardness of the situation. He did not seem disposed to talk to the
visitors, and stood with his hands in his pockets looking out of the
window, and whistling softly. As their presence only seemed to embarrass
him, Katrine and Gwethyn had the tact to go away. Githa walked with them
down the passage.
"He's been here three days," she confided. "He knew there'd be a
frightful hue-and-cry after him, so he's lying low until it's over. Of
course we daren't let Uncle know where he is. There's ever such a
hullabaloo going on about it all at home, but I look absolutely stolid
and don't breathe a word. I come every day and bring him food, and he
sleeps on some straw in the attic. He'd rather do that than be sent back
to old Hawkins's tender mercies."
"Does your uncle know how he was thrashed?"
"I'm not sure. Probably Mr. Hawkins only told his own side of the story.
I daren't ask anything. I'm so afraid of letting out the secret."
"But he can't stay here for ever!"
"No, he's just waiting until things blow over; then he'll do a bolt at
night, and walk to Settlefield and try and enlist. He's wild to join the
army."
"But he's too young!" gasped Katrine.
"He's very tall for his age, and of course he'd pretend he was
eighteen."
Katrine was aghast at such a plan. It seemed pre-doomed to failure.
Cedric might be tall, but his boyish figure and youthful face would
proclaim to any recruiting sergeant that he was below the age for
enlistment. She stated her opinion emphatically, and urged Githa to
persuade him to give up so foolish a notion.
"Oh dear! Whatever are we to do then?" sighed the worried little
Toadstool. "We'd both counted on his getting into the army. I'm at my
wits' end. I suppose he'll have to tramp to Liverpool, and get on a ship
as a cabin-boy or a stoker, and work his passage to America. Perhaps
he'll find Uncle Frank there."
"I'm afraid that would be worse still," said Katrine gently. "Couldn't
you trust your Uncle Wilfred? Perhaps if he really heard Cedric's side
of the case, he would take him away from this school, and see about
fitting him for what he's to be in the future. After all, he's his
guardian."
"And a very harsh one! No, I daren't tell Uncle Wilfred. Ceddie must try
to get to America. Other boys have run away and made their own
fortunes."
"But how many have done the opposite?" urged Katrine. "Don't let him
throw away his life like this! Have you no friend you could ask to help
him?"
Githa shook her head forlornly.
"Nobody cares to bother about us."
"I wish Father and Mother were in England!" said Gwethyn.
"Oh, how I wish they were!" exclaimed Githa, with a flash of hope on her
face that faded as suddenly as it arose. "But what's the use of wishing,
when we know they're in Australia?"
The suggestion had given Katrine an idea, however.
"Would you trust your secret to Mr. Freeman?" she asked. "He's one of
the kindest men I know, and perhaps he'd be able to think of some way
out of the matter. I needn't tell him that Cedric is hiding at the
Grange" (as Githa hesitated); "I'd simply state the facts of the case,
and ask for his advice."
"Oh! Dare we trust him? He wouldn't let Mr. Hawkins get hold of Ceddie?"
"I promise he wouldn't."
Having wrung a somewhat unwilling consent, Katrine hurried away before
Githa had time to change her mind. In defiance of all school rules she
and Gwethyn went straight to the village, and called at Mr. Freeman's
lodgings. They found their friend painting in his studio, and, having
first pledged him to strictest secrecy, poured out their story.
"Whew! Poor little chap!" he exclaimed. "He seems to have got himself
into a precious mess! Sleeping on straw, did you say? And living on
scraps his sister brings him? No, no! He mustn't think of running off to
America. So Mr. Ledbury is his uncle? The solicitor at Carford? Well, as
it happens, he's doing some legal business for me at present, so I fancy
I might open negotiations with him, very diplomatically, of course.
Don't be afraid! I'll stand the boy's friend. It's high time they were
thinking what to make of him. Leave it in my hands, and I'll see if I
can't talk the uncle round."
"Oh, thanks so much!" exclaimed the girls. "You don't know what a relief
it is to hand the matter over to you. Now we must scoot, or we shall get
into trouble at school ourselves."
On this occasion, Katrine and Gwethyn went straight to Mrs. Franklin's
study, and reported themselves for having broken bounds. The Principal
glared at them, entered the offence in her private ledger, and harangued
them on its enormity; but as they had made voluntary confession, she
gave them no special punishment. On the whole, they considered they had
got off rather more easily than they had expected.
"I can't bear to think of that poor laddie sleeping all alone in that
dismal old house," said Katrine, as the sisters went to bed that night.
"It gives me the creeps even to imagine it. He looked a jolly boy. He
and Githa seem to have hard luck. It was too bad to leave them utterly
to their uncle's charity."
"The grandfather ought to have provided for them properly," agreed
Gwethyn. "People should make just wills before they die."
* * * * *
Githa came to school the next morning with dark rings round her eyes.
She admitted having lain awake most of the night, worrying about her
brother.
"If Mr. Freeman can't help us, Ceddie means to start to-night for
Liverpool," she whispered to Gwethyn during the interval.
The three girls spent an anxious day. They wondered continually if their
friend were working on their behalf, and with what success. At about
half-past three, Mr. Freeman called at the school, and asked Mrs.
Franklin's permission to speak to Katrine. He had good news to report.
He had seen Mr. Ledbury and had spoken to him about Cedric, without
betraying the boy's whereabouts, which indeed he did not himself know.
He found that Mr. Ledbury exhibited the utmost relief at hearing tidings
of the runaway. He said he had been making inquiries, and discovered,
through information given him by one of the under masters, that the
school was not what he had thought it to be, and that the punishment
given to his nephew had been excessive and brutal in the extreme. He was
sorry that he had ever placed the boy in Mr. Hawkins's charge, and
should at once remove him. He sent a message to Cedric, telling him to
return home, and that all would be forgiven. He seemed anxious to do his
best for his nephew, and to give him a good start in life.
"I was able to make a proposition," added Mr. Freeman, "which opens a
way for the boy's immediate future. My brother is in the Admiralty
Department, and I am almost sure that I can persuade him to give Cedric
a nomination for the navy. They want lads of his age at present, and I
should think the life would just suit the young chap. So let his sister
tell him to go home. I don't suppose his uncle will exactly kill the
fatted calf for him, but he won't be thrashed or sent back to school.
I'll guarantee that."
Githa's eyes shone with gratitude when Katrine told her the result of
Mr. Freeman's kind offices as peacemaker.
"Oh! I am so relieved--so thankful! Ceddie would love to get into the
navy! It would be far nicer than enlisting as a private. How proud I
should be of him in his uniform! I'll fly now on my bike to the Grange,
and get Ceddie to come straight home with me. I believe Aunt Julia will
be glad. Oh, how ripping to have Cedric at home again! You and Gwethyn
are just the biggest trumps on earth!"
As Mr. Freeman had prognosticated, the runaway was not received with any
great outward demonstration of joy by his uncle and aunt, though both
were secretly much relieved at his reappearance. Matters took an
unexpected turn, however, for the poor lad had caught cold by sleeping
on damp straw in the empty house, and was confined to bed with a sharp
attack of rheumatism. His illness brought out all the kindness in his
aunt's nature. She had always had rather a soft corner for him, though
she had not been willing to admit it, and had generally persuaded
herself that the two children were a burden. She nursed him well now,
and was so good to him during his convalescence that Githa's manner
thawed, and the girl was more at ease with her aunt than she had ever
been before--a wonderfully pleasant and unusual state of affairs.
Mr. Freeman's representations at the Admiralty had the desired effect.
Cedric received his nomination, and in due course, when the doctor would
pronounce him fit, was to go up for his examination. He was wild with
enthusiasm.
"If I can only get quickly into the fighting line," he declared, "won't
I just enjoy myself!"
"Get well first," commanded Githa, whose sisterly pride seemed to think
her brother destined to become at least an admiral.