One of the privileges gained by the alliance between aunt and niece was
that the former veto against bicycle riding was withdrawn, and that
Darsie was set free each afternoon for an hour's enjoyment of this
favourite exercise.
In deference to Lady Hayes's nervousness and sense of responsibility the
high-road was avoided as much as possible, and detours taken through
quiet lanes, where traffic was reduced to a minimum; and it was along
one of these lanes that Darsie rode joyously some five or six days after
her visit to the Percivals, bearing in her pocket a return invitation to
her new friends. She had been longing to meet them again, had keenly
regretted a domestic upset which had delayed the invitation until now,
but all the same the last days had passed wonderfully quickly and
happily. Afire with resolution to "begin again" and show herself in the
light of a cheerful and cheering companion, she had neglected no
opportunity to make herself agreeable to her hostess, while Aunt Maria
in return had been sweetly considerate, and on occasions quite startling
in her divination of hidden wishes and desires. The eyes behind the
gold-rimmed spectacles would rest upon the girl's face with an intent
scrutiny which seemed to have the power to draw free confidences, till
to her own surprise Darsie found herself discussing fluently the all-
important subject of her own future, and setting forth her hopes and
fears in relation to a scholarship for Newnham. On this, as on almost
every topic which came up for discussion, the old woman and the girl
held almost diametrically opposite opinions, but so far Darsie had
contrived to subdue her impatience, and to listen with some appearance
of humility to Lady Hayes's somewhat sententious criticism.
"But I wonder if it can last!" she was asking herself doubtfully this
afternoon, as she pedalled through the sweet-smelling lanes. "I wonder
if I can possibly go on being so unnaturally good without falling ill
from the strain! How I hope the Percival girls will be at home! If I
can let off steam for an hour, and make as much noise as I like, it will
be no end of a relief, and help me to last out without a relapse. I'd
hate to have a relapse and spoil it all, just when I'm trying so hard;
and she's really a dear, _quite_ an old dear! I love to please her.
Whenever I begin to feel scratchy I must make an excuse and get over to
the Percivals for an hour to be soothed down. I do _hope_ they are in
to-day!"
But alas! the butler announced "Not at home," in reply to Darsie's
inquiry, then, seeing the blank disappointment on the young face, he
added graciously: "The young ladies are out for a ride. They will
probably be home about four o'clock. Will you not step in and wait?"
Darsie brightened instantly. Four o'clock, and she had promised to be
back by five. Yes, she could enjoy half an hour's talk, and still leave
ample time for the ride home, but as it was now barely three o'clock she
did not feel tempted by the prospect of sitting cooped in the house for
so long a time.
"Thank you," she said briskly. "I should like to wait, but I think I'll
stay in the garden. Perhaps you would be kind enough to tell them when
they return."
The man bowed and withdrew, and Darsie strolled away in the direction of
the rose pergola, the beauty of which had attracted her so greatly on
her first visit. She wandered up and down the archways, sniffed at the
fragrance of the late blooms which still remained, indulged in a little
of the sentimental poetising which seems to flow so readily when one is
"alone among the roses," began to grow bored, wandered aimlessly ahead,
grew very bored indeed, and, consulting her watch, was dismayed to find
that only fifteen minutes had passed away. Fifteen! and there still
remained forty-five before her companions were likely to arrive! What
could she find to do to while away a whole forty-five minutes? As a
matter of prudence Darsie put the suggestion of the fruit garden
resolutely aside. It would not be _safe_ to put herself in proximity
with those tempting strawberries, since on a second visit to a house one
was, unfortunately, not on sufficiently intimate terms to take without
being asked.
She was contemplating getting on her bicycle and taking a short ride
round the lanes, when the brilliant alternative of the river darted into
her mind. Of course, the river! Nothing could be more delightful. She
set off at a trot, taking in her inexperience many wrong turnings, but
arriving at last at the river, or rather the peaceful backwater of the
river which bordered the Percival grounds. To Darsie's mind the spot
was the most picturesque on the whole estate, and a good many people
could be found ready to agree with her in the conclusion; for the
backwater though narrow was bordered by banks rich in reeds and
bulrushes, while a hundred yards or so below the miniature jetty a pair
of ancient wooden gates spanned the stream, through whose decaying beams
could be seen fascinating peeps of a baby waterfall, and a great moss-
covered wheel which proclaimed the former use of the old grey building
of which it was a part. In olden times this quiet backwater had been a
busy centre of industry, but the modern inventions of machinery had left
it hopelessly in the rear. The mill-owner had been ruined long ago, and
the mill-house, with its great panelled rooms, was given up to the
occupancy of the rats, while the disused wheel was green with moss, and
the wooden gateway threatened every day to fall free of its hinges.
The young Percivals could not remember the day when the mill had been
working, but from a personal point of view they deeply regretted its
cessation, for, deprived of the healthy action of the wheel, the little
backwater was becoming every year more choked with weeds, until at some
points it was difficult to navigate the punt.
At long intervals strange men came to investigate the mill and its
machinery, and the Percivals were cheered by rumours of a certain "let,"
but as one rumour after another died away without bringing any tangible
result their hopes had reached a vanishing point, and they paid little
attention to the occasional stirring into life of the dreamy backwater.
Darsie walked to the end of the jetty, stepped lightly into the punt,
and sank down on the soft red cushions. One might not eat one's
neighbour's fruit, but one might sit in his punt, and arrange his
cushions to fit comfily into the crick in one's back, without infringing
the laws of hospitality. Darsie poked and wriggled, and finally lay at
ease, deliciously comfortable, blinking up at the sunshine overhead, and
congratulating herself on having hit on the spot of all others in which
to spend the time of waiting. She could lie here for hours without
feeling bored; it was the most deliciously lazy, drowsy sensation she
had ever experienced. At the end of five minutes, however, the drowsy
feeling threatened to become altogether too pronounced, and having no
wish either to be discovered fast asleep, or to sleep on undiscovered
till past the hour for her return. Darsie sat up hurriedly and began to
look around for fresh distractions.
At the very first glimpse the usual temptation for idle hands stared her
in the face, for there on the jetty lay, not only the long punt-pole,
but also the dainty little paddle which she had handled under Ralph's
instructions the week before. It had been quite easy, ridiculously
easy; the girls declared that she took to it as to the manner born; she
had paddled the whole boatload for quite a considerable distance.
Naturally it would be much easier and lighter to paddle for oneself
alone. The chain holding the punt to the jetty could easily be slipped
from its ring; there was not, _could_ not be, any danger in paddling
peacefully along a quiet little backwater. Of course, prudent people
would say--Aunt Maria would say-- But then if you waited until all the
prudent people on earth approved of all that you did, you might sit with
your hands crossed in your lap for the rest of your life!
Darsie tossed her head with the defiant little jerk which meant that she
was _going_ to do it, and she didn't care, and the consequences could
look after themselves. In another moment the punt was free from the
chain, and was being paddled slowly down the stream. Really, she told
herself, the solid old craft was as safe as a house; so big, so heavily
built was it that it seemed curious, not that its progress should be
slow but that it should move at all in response to the efforts of one
inexperienced girl! Glancing over, Darsie could see the weeds rising
from the bed of the stream, sometimes so high that they caught in the
paddle as it worked and greatly impeded its force; still she was
steadily moving along, and, fired with ambition, her eyes fell on a
willow-tree standing out from the bank some hundred yards ahead, and she
determined to persevere until the point should be reached. To declare
she had paddled "some way"--"quite a long way"--would probably be
discounted to mean but a few yards by the Percival sisters, but "to the
willow and back" was a definite feat which could not be gainsaid. So
Darsie worked and strained till her arms ached and her cheeks flamed,
till the punt, moving heavily through the weeds, ran at last beneath the
willow branches and found a natural anchorage.
Well, it was good to lie back against the cushions and rest one's weary
arms and back! Darsie peeped at her watch, saw with relief that she had
still a good quarter of an hour to spare, and abandoned herself to a
lazy enjoyment of the situation.
And then the inevitable happened, for the soothing influence of the
shaded light lulled the tired senses into deeper and deeper
unconsciousness, until at last the fringed eyelids ceased to flicker,
and remained peacefully closed, and, like a happy, tired child, Darsie
rested her cheek on her hand and slept.
Subsequent comparisons proved that her doze might have lasted for half
an hour or more, before a sudden movement of the punt roused her with a
start. She sat up, blinked sleepily around, and discovered to her
surprise that the punt had moved from its anchorage and drifted into the
centre of the stream. It had appeared so safely moored against the tree
that she was puzzled to understand how this had come about, but as the
movement had roused her from sleep she was glad that it had occurred,
and, seating herself steadily, lifted her paddle to work her way back to
the jetty.
As she settled herself, however, Darsie's attention was arrested by the
manner in which the banks seemed to be slipping past; she turned her
head over her shoulder, and discovered that in the minute which had
elapsed since she had awakened from sleep the willow-tree had been left
several yards behind. Some mysterious change seemed to have passed over
the surface of the still, almost stagnant, waters; they were flowing as
with a tide, the rippling movement stirring the weedy banks. Darsie
used her paddle automatically, but its puny force seemed superfluous,
for the punt was moving of itself, quickly and still more quickly,
swinging broadside to the stream in defiance of her efforts to keep it
straight. Darsie ceased to struggle and leaned forward on the paddle to
consider the situation. Then, for the first time, she became aware that
the former stillness of the stream was replaced by a harsh, continuous
noise, which seemed momentarily to increase in volume. What could it
be? She stared around with puzzled eyes, but there was no hint of alarm
in her bewilderment. A child of the city, she was inured to sudden and
inexplicable noises; it was only when the punt swung heavily round a
bend that she realised the seriousness of her position. The mill was
working! One of the infrequent experimental trials of which she had
heard was even now in process, the great moss-covered wheel was
revolving creakily on its axle, waking the sleeping river into life, and
the heavy punt was bearing down, more and more rapidly towards the crazy
wooden gates!
In a second all that she had heard on this subject from the Percival
family flashed through Darsie's brain. The gates were frail, so eaten
by long action of water, that at the impact of a heavy mass they would
almost certainly burst apart, and then--what would happen to the punt
and to its hapless occupant? Would she be hurled against a broken
boulder, wedged helplessly beneath the debris, or rushed forward into
the swirl of the millpond itself? Whatever happened it seemed certain
that danger--and serious danger--loomed close at hand, unless she could
succeed in overmastering the current and landing the punt safely at the
little jetty. At this moment it was not fear but rather an exhilarating
tingling of excitement of which Darsie was most aware. Here was an
adventure--a full-fledged adventure, such as came but seldom to break
the monotony of life!
For the sake of her future credit she must bear herself bravely, be
swift, resourceful, energetic. With all her strength she plied the
paddle to and fro, but for all the effect produced she might as well
have sat still upon her cushions. It would have required an experienced
hand to guide the heavy punt through the sweeping current, and under
Darsie's unpractised strokes it twisted, and turned, and revolved in
aimless and disconcerting circles... No matter! she was determined to
win; by hook or by crook she must make the left side of the stream and
gain an anchorage. The jetty or the millpond--that was the alternative,
and it was one to put power into the arm and give staying power to the
laboured breath! The moments were flying now, the banks seemed to be
flitting past more quickly than ever. Darsie tried to convert the
paddle into an oar, with which to steer more vigorously for the desired
bank; then came a breathless second of suspense, followed by a sickening
realisation of failure. The punt had swept past the jetty at a distance
just wide enough to make it impossible to grasp the chain, and was now
bearing straight for the wooden gates!