While I was thus thinking my dear companions returned from their search
which had been very successful. I kissed and thanked them all for their
pretty thoughts and comforting words, and told them how much good they
had done me, and how, for this once I must show them all to Madame and
Schillie, that they might derive the same pleasure from them that I did,
to which Sybil, as spokeswoman for all, gave a smiling blushing consent,
and, though they did not read them just then, yet I may as well say that
Madame could not sufficiently express her admiration of these innocent
Sermons, and got leave from me and them to copy them into a book of her
own; and, whenever she was ill or out of spirits, we always saw the
little marble-covered book, containing them, brought out and regularly
studied.
Schillie, in a more characteristic manner, expressed her approbation,
saying that they were all good worthy children, and they wrote much
better Sermons than most she had heard, for, besides being greatly to
the point, they were extremely short.
And, now to return to the caverns. They had found a perfect series of
comfortable places, as they called them, some being connected with
others, so that we could go from one to the other without being exposed
to the wet.
We had another severe storm that night, but the next day we worked and
stowed everything away as well as we could. The old original cavern,
being to Oscar's great delight the receptacle for the gunpowder and
ammunition, more because it was the furthest from the others than from
any particular wish to oblige him. Every now and then in the midst of
our arrangements we had a severe storm, generally accompanied with
thunder and lightning. To be exposed to one for only a few minutes
wetted us quite through, therefore not wishing to lose a moment of such
precious time, it was not until late in the evening that we changed or
rested. At the end of three days we had done wonders, but had nearly
done ourselves up also. That morning there was no sun; nothing but
continual pouring down of rain all day, and so it continued for a
fortnight. During this time we made ourselves more comfortable in the
three caverns, which communicated with each other; one of which was very
dark and close. The lighter ones we used all day, but they smelt damp
and unwholesome, and the children began to grow pale, and become
restless. Besides our food was but indifferent; no fruit or vegetables,
or fish. Eggs we had in abundance from the chickens and ducks we had
brought with us, and which had scarcely ceased laying since we arrived,
so much did they thrive in this luxuriant island. The evenings were very
tedious, and we had to invent all sorts of games which would at once
amuse them, and yet be exercise also.
Felix and Winny were both attacked with ague, and Madame had so bad a
cough no lessons could be done. I wondered at first, on hearing Gatty's
eager enquiries every morning after Madame, until I accidently heard in
answer by Hargrave that Madame had not slept during the night, "All
right, girls, the cough is delightfully bad." This put me and Schillie
upon employing our spare time in teaching them ourselves, which
announcement was at first received rather coldly; but they derived such
infinite amusement from our inaptness to the business that they were
quite impatient if anything prevented us performing this office. With
the utmost gravity and demureness Gatty would bring me the same lesson
to repeat every day; and though I must, in justice to myself, allow that
I thought it must be the easiest book in the world, it seemed all the
same thing, I was too innocent to imagine she was amusing herself at my
expense. How long I should have gone on I know not, but her exquisite
delight at my simplicity was too great to be kept in, she told her own
secret amidst the laughter of all, her dupe being one of the most
amused. Sybil and Serena took equal liberties, all more from the love of
fun than real delinquency, so that during our reign lessons were at a
premium. Schillie undertook writing and summing, and as she was always
mending pens and cutting pencils, holding one or other between her lips,
she was often not in a condition to reprimand by words, consequently a
tap on the head, a blow on the cheek, a pinch on the arm, generally
expressed her disapprobation. Moreover, she was very impatient if the
sums were done wrong, and exclaiming, "Good lack, what young noodles,"
would do the sums again herself, instead of making the delinquents
correct them. This plan I pronounced with great dignity as highly
improper; she, in dudgeon, said I was a noodle too, and we came to high
words, much to the delight and gratification of our pupils.
But Sybil and Serena delighted in drawing her out while they were all
three reading aloud to her in turns their English History. Then warmed
with her subject, delighting in all the political and historical
details, she would take the book from their hands, and enter into long
discussions, her strong whig principles startling the two bred and born
tory girls into sufficient argument and opposition to give piquancy and
eloquence to her words as they flowed rapidly from her lips. During
these periods, Gatty, who only cared to get done as quick as possible
what she was obliged to do, and thought all these digressions a great
bore, employed her idle fingers in whatever mischief lay within her
reach. If she had no pocket handkerchief to twist into holes, it took
her but a few minutes to dog-ear a whole book; or, probably, the
energetic discussion and the attentive listeners would be interrupted
by a sudden crash, proclaiming the tearing of something, and each would
instinctively look round for their handkerchiefs; or she would collect
little animals, like ants, spiders, or flies, and, having got a handful,
would empty them over one of the three; in fact, she would do anything
to put an end to the discussion, that they might finish their allotted
task and get it over. Then in wrath Schillie would turn round and
exclaim, "You idle young monkey, why don't you go on with your reading?"
_Gatty_ (demurely).--"If you please, little Mother, we can't."
_Schillie._--"Cannot! What stops you, I should like to know? Nothing but
your own laziness, keeping me waiting here all day."
_Gatty_ (still more meekly).--"If you please, little Mother, you have
got the book."
_Schillie._--"Got the book! Who wants to keep your book? I am sure I
don't; I only wish to have done with you as soon as possible."
_Gatty._--"If you please, little Mother, you stopped us to talk about
those people."
_Schillie._--"Those people indeed! You who ought to be more interested
in such characters than the other girls, because your Father's name will
be handed down to posterity in the same manner. I am quite done up with
you being such an owlet, Gatty."
_Gatty._--"If you please, little Mother, I don't care about them at all.
They are all dead, and they are nothing to me, and I only wish they had
not lived, and then we should not have had such a long History of
England to read through."
Such speeches were too much for Schillie's fortitude, and Gatty's
sparkling eyes showed how successful her man[oe]uvres were in being
dismissed at once, "as too stupid to be borne with."
Sometimes I handed over the little girls to her to say their lessons,
and they were invariably dismissed before they could have said half of
them. And when I enquired the reason thereof, "Poor little victims," she
answered, "what is the use of addling their brains with such a cart load
of lessons, one more silly than another. As if they could not order a
much better dinner than is mentioned in this French phrase book, and all
that trumpery poetry; and their geography book is the stupidest I ever
saw, as if they did not all know what an island is. It's my opinion they
will know too well what an island is, without learning it in a book."
With the boys she got on pretty well, except hurting Felix's feelings
now and then by saying, "Now learn your book, and don't eat it this
time," which allusion generally caused a tear or two, he having a well
very near his eyes.
None of the young ones were anxious to give up their new governesses,
but they, on the contrary, hailed the return of fine weather with great
joy.