A Fourth Form Friendship: A School Story

  CHAPTER IX

  Chinese Lanterns

  Aldred's plot had been only too successful. Lorna's nerves were not ofthe strongest, and the apparition in the passage had been utterlyunexpected; so, although she did not actually lose consciousness, shelay for a few moments with her eyes shut, and considerably terrified theother girls.

  "Bring some water, somebody!" said Mabel, who was kneeling on the floor,holding the luckless Fatima in her arms.

  "I'll get it!" cried Aldred, springing up before anyone else couldvolunteer, and darting hurriedly out of the room. It had just occurredto her that she might probably be blamed for this incident, and shewanted to avoid that if it were still possible.

  "You must go, Nellie!" she whispered to the housemaid. "The girls willtell Miss Drummond if they catch you, and you'll get into trouble!"

  "But I thought it was to be a bit of a joke, miss!" remonstrated Nellie,who could not see where the fun had come in.

  "They don't see the joke. You'd better run! Do you want Miss Drummond tofind you playing ghost, when you ought to be turning down the beds?"

  Aldred had been forcing Nellie along the passage as she spoke, and nowshe tore the sheet from the latter's shoulders, and flung it down theback stairs.

  "Go and wash your face!" she commanded. "I didn't ask you to whiten it.You've made far more of this than I intended."

  Nellie departed to the kitchen regions, highly offended. She consideredshe had been badly treated, but, as she certainly did not wish MissDrummond to learn anything of the affair, she took Aldred's advice,washed her face, put the sheet away, and only aired her grievance to herfellow-servants.

  Aldred, congratulating herself upon the success of her promptitude,fetched a glass of water to the classroom. Lorna had in a great measurerecovered herself, but she was still pale and shaky, and anxious toclaim sympathy.

  "I saw something all in white in the passage!" she was assuring theother girls.

  "Nonsense!" said Aldred brusquely. "How could you? Drink this, andyou'll feel better."

  "She must have seen something!" declared Phoebe and Ursula.

  "Well, there's nothing there now, at any rate. Go and look foryourselves, if you don't believe me!"

  "Perhaps the Third Form were playing us a trick," suggested Dora.

  "It's extremely probable," returned Aldred. "Phyllis Carson lovespractical jokes."

  "It must have been Phyllis," said Lorna. "It looked very like her, andit is just the kind of thing she'd enjoy doing."

  "It was a great shame of whoever it was, to give you such a scare!" saidMabel. "It's never safe to frighten people, and I hate sham ghostsmyself. Do you feel well enough to go on with the scene, or shall westop for to-night?"

  This incident (of which Alfred never divulged the authorship) had atleast the desired effect of considerably improving Fatima's acting.Perhaps a nervous remembrance of what she had really seen returned toher in future when she opened the door, and supplied the lack ofimagination; at any rate, she would give a very passable start andscream, and her whole manner was more interested and full of life. EvenBluebeard, owing to Aldred's exertions, learnt to suppress his ill-timedmirth, and to thunder as a domestic tyrant should; and the fairy, if notexactly graceful, to wave her wand elegantly, instead of brandishing itlike a hockey stick or golf club. Having thus far perfected the businessof the play, the girls turned their attention to costumes and scenery.

  "We've only ten days left, so we must be very quick," said Mabel. "I'vewritten home to Mother to send us anything suitable that she can spare.I think she'll let us have two gauzy veils and some glass bangles thatshe got in Jerusalem; they'd do nicely for Fatima and me. And perhapsshe'll lend two daggers for the Brothers; but if she won't, we shallhave to make cardboard ones, and cover them with silver paper."

  "My sister has promised to send us some Chinese lanterns," saidPhoebe. "They'll look lovely, and give quite an Eastern air to thething."

  "Yes, we want the first scene to look like a piece out of the ArabianNights," agreed Agnes Maxwell. "I'm rather anxious about Dora's costume;how are we to manage the beard?"

  "Would blue Berlin wool do?"

  "Rather expensive--we should have to use so much of it."

  "A piece of blue tissue paper, cut into shreds?"

  "No, thanks! I should look like a fly-catcher!" laughed Dora.

  "Then I don't know."

  "I can manage a beard, if you'll leave it to me," said Aldred. "I have asplendid idea."

  "What?"

  "Get a piece of new rope, and untwist it and comb it out; the tow isexactly like stiff, white hair. Then we'll dip it in strong Reckitt'sBlue, and let it dry."

  "Splendid!" chorused the girls.

  Aldred's fertile brain was full of plans and suggestions. She not onlymade a most successful beard, but contrived fierce moustaches for theBrothers, and (greatest triumph of all!) even twined the tow into long,flaxen ringlets for Ursula, which certainly suited her appearance as afairy better than her own dark locks.

  Each Form was to have its act on a separate evening during the last weekof the term, and the Fourth was accorded the privilege of the openingperformance.

  "Miss Drummond calls it a 'privilege'," said Phoebe, "but I think it'sa doubtful one! It's like singing the first song at a concert. I alwayshate starting anything!"

  "We shan't be quite so much criticized as if we came last, though,"said Myfanwy. "They can't compare our acting with the others'."

  "No; and if the Sixth Form are getting up anything very grand andliterary, 'Bluebeard' would sound pantomimey after it," agreed Mabel.

  "And we shall have got ours over, and can enjoy the others' nights withfree minds," added Agnes.

  Nevertheless, it was a responsibility to feel that they must make a goodbeginning, and all worked hard to bring each little detail as nearperfection as possible. The entertainments were always given in thedining-hall; it was a big room, with a door at each end, and had a brassrod fixed permanently to support a curtain, so that it was veryconvenient for performances. The actors could use the kitchen entrance,and have the large pantry beyond for a dressing-room, while the audiencecame in by the ordinary door.

  The first scene was "An Apartment in Bluebeard's Palace", and the Formdisplayed all its ingenuity in trying to make a brave show of barbaricmagnificence. Several gay shawls were hung over clothes-horses, anddraped with scarves and sashes; the sofa, covered with a Turkish rug,represented an Eastern divan; Miss Drummond had lent a small Moorishtable from the drawing-room and a hammered brass tray, with a quaintcoffee-pot--contributions which greatly helped the Oriental effect. Butthe most precious "property" of all was the miscellaneous collection ofChinese lanterns that Phoebe's sister had sent. They were very fineones, of various sizes, shapes, and colours; and added such a gala touchto the rest of the scenery as to make Bluebeard's Palace seem _enfete_.

  "The difficulty is to know where to hang them," said Aldred, holding upa combination of red, blue, and green, and admiring the brilliance ofthe result.

  "We must fix a string tight across the room," said Ursula. "We canfasten it to a picture clip on either side, and then the lanterns willhang all in a line, just above the divan."

  "They'll look beautiful, because they'll shine exactly on Fatima'shead," added Aldred.

  "Oh, but we mustn't light them! Miss Drummond particularly said so;she's so terribly afraid of fire. We're only allowed to use them forornaments."

  "How stupid! What's the good of them, if they mayn't be lighted?"demanded Aldred impatiently. "They'd be perfectly safe!"

  "I dare say they would; but Miss Drummond is nervous, and she won't letus, so that's an end of it!"

  "Miss Drummond is most absurdly tiresome and fussy!" thought Aldred,when the string had been arranged, and the row of beautiful lanterns wasswinging overhead. "There couldn't possibly be any danger when they'rehanging so high; we wouldn't stick our heads into them!"

  She was alone in the room, for the other girls had gone int
o the pantryto dress. She could hear from their suppressed giggles that they foundthe robing nearly the most amusing part of the performance. Her owncostume would not take long to put on, so she was not at all in a hurry,and had lingered behind to add a few finishing touches to the scenery.

  "Every one of them has a candle," she continued to herself. "I supposePhoebe's sister made them quite ready; she evidently expected them tobe lighted. It would be such a gorgeous illumination! I declare I'll tryit, to see how it looks."

  With the aid of a chair, she managed to set all the candles burning, andstood back against the curtain to admire the effect.

  "It's perfectly lovely," she exclaimed; "like a real fairy tale palace!I never saw anything prettier--not even at the pantomime. Oh, I mustleave them as they are! Perhaps Miss Drummond does not really mind, onlyshe feels bound to give tiresome orders. What an astonishment it will befor the others, when they come back! Now I must fly!"

  It was within twenty minutes of the opening of the entertainment,therefore high time for Aldred to dress. She scrambled into her longdressing-gown, and put on her turban without much enthusiasm; her partwas so small that she knew she would attract little attention, andprobably not receive even a clap. Mabel was already arrayed in thepretty, gauzy robes that her mother had sent, and made a charming SisterAnne, though her blue eyes, carnation cheeks, and red-gold hair werehardly of Eastern appearance.

  "You might, of course, be a Circassian; they're often very fair," saidAldred. "You look far nicer than Fatima. If you're ready, let us go andtake a last peep at the stage."

  Aldred expected to give her friend a great surprise when she opened thedoor, but she was not prepared for the scene that greeted them as theyentered the room. The lanterns, the beautiful Chinese lanterns, insteadof hanging proudly on their string, and shedding a brilliant lustre overthe scene, were lying here and there upon the floor and on the divan. Bythe greatest good fortune none had yet caught fire, but the danger wasgreat, and at any moment the thin paper might be set in a blaze.

  Aldred grasped the situation instantly. The flames, rising up frombelow, had burnt through the string, and brought the whole row crashingdown. She rushed forward and began blowing out the candles as fast asshe could; with Mabel's help it was only the work of a minute, and nodamage was done, but it was a miracle that the flimsy scarves and thewreaths of paper flowers had escaped.

  "Who can have lighted them?" exclaimed Mabel, her cheeks quite pale atthe unexpected disaster. "We left all perfectly safe."

  Aldred did not reply; she was busy adjusting her turban, which hadtumbled off in her hurry.

  "I wonder if it could be Dora?" continued Mabel. "She's such ascatter-brain, she always does silly things!"

  "It does not matter so much who's done it, as how we're going to setthese lanterns up again in time," replied Aldred. "Where's the ball ofstring? Here! you hold one end, and we'll thread it through; I'll soonclimb up and fasten it. I'll pull the burnt piece off first. Raise it upa little higher, please. That's right! Now, just a thought tighter, andit will do."

  "How splendid you are!" sighed Mabel admiringly. "You have such presenceof mind, blowing out the candles so quickly, and getting everythingright in less than five minutes; nobody could see that we've had anaccident. It looks just the same. I should like to know who----"

  "The audience is coming in!" interrupted Aldred. "We must scurry backand see if the others are ready. There isn't a second to be lost. MissDrummond can't bear to be kept waiting, and we promised to beginpunctually at half-past."

  The performance was an enormous success; of that there was not theslightest shadow of doubt. Thanks to Aldred's diligent drilling, theactresses "played up", and rendered their parts with a dramatic fervourthat quite astonished the audience. Bluebeard threatened in a voice ofgrowling thunder, and frowned fiercely in his character of tyrant.Fatima shrieked in such frantic agony when she opened the cupboard doorthat she made everybody start, and her swoon afterwards was particularlyeasy and natural; she scrubbed the incriminating stain on the key withdesperate zeal, and pleaded for her life with heart-breaking sobs and anair of tragic appeal. Sister Anne looked out of the window with pitifulanxiety, and wrung her slim, white hands in melodramatic despair; whilethe Brothers dashed in with "neck-or-nothing" haste and slew the despot,who died with such groans and convulsive twitchings as to fully satisfythe cause of justice, and point an appropriate moral.

  There was a storm of clapping at the end, as the principal "stars"formed in line to make their bows. Aldred, in her minor character, wasstanding at the back; but much to her amazement there was a sudden callfor "Stage Manager", and Mabel dragged her forward to present her to theaudience.

  "Hurrah! Bravo! Well done!" cried both girls and teachers, who, knowingthe previous achievements of the Fourth Form, recognized the amount ofcleverness needed to have so enormously raised the standard of acting,and appreciated Aldred's exertions.

  "You must have a better part yourself, next time, my dear," said MissDrummond, as she offered her congratulations. "You can teach others sowell that we should like to see you taking a leading character.Everything was beautifully managed; there were no delays, and nohesitations. The grouping and attitudes were most artistically arranged,and the dresses and scenery lovely. You have made an excellent start,and the other Forms will have to look to their laurels if they wish tobeat the Fourth."

  It was very gratifying to Aldred to feel that her trouble had reallybeen rewarded with success. The other girls, who had grumbled at hercoaching and criticism during the rehearsals, were pleased now that theyfound themselves able to perform in such a superior manner, and generousenough to acknowledge how much they owed her. For once she felt she hadrisen to the height of popularity, and her ambition was satisfied. Itwas a pleasant ending to her first term, and a favourable omen for thoseto follow.

  There was only one little jarring note in all her happiness, and thatwas the accident to the lanterns. In the excitement of the play she hadcompletely forgotten all about it, but Mabel mentioned the matter whenthey had gone to bed that night.

  "It's so very strange who could have lighted them!" she said. "We allknew Miss Drummond had forbidden it."

  "Whoever did will get into trouble, then, if any fuss is made," repliedAldred.

  "Yes, if it were mentioned at head-quarters, of course; but I didn'tthink of telling Miss Drummond."

  "What were you going to do?"

  "Only ask the other girls. It surely must have been Dora!"

  "If we begin to talk about it, perhaps someone may mention it outsidethe Form, and it would get to Miss Drummond's ears. She would be veryangry."

  "She certainly would, because it really was dangerous. If the string hadbroken through while any of us were underneath, we might have been burntto death in our light, flimsy clothes."

  "It's all ended safely now, though. Isn't it rather mean to try toferret it out? You don't want to get someone into a scrape."

  "I don't indeed!" agreed Mabel. "Perhaps, as you say, it's as well tolet things be. Ursula and Dora are always quarrelling, and if Ursulaturned spiteful and gave a hint to Miss Bardsley, she'd feel bound tomake enquiries."

  "And we should probably never be allowed to use Chinese lanterns again."

  "Oh! That would be dreadful! Phoebe says her sister told her we couldkeep these at school, and I thought we might act 'Catskin' at Easter,and carry them in procession."

  "Then, mum's the word!"

  "Yes, you're right. You always do give good advice! Besides, it neverstruck me I might get anyone into trouble. You're such a thoroughlyconsiderate darling, you make me quite ashamed of myself. What aglorious time we've had! I've enjoyed myself so much. Good night!"

  Mabel turned over on her pillows, snuggled a little more cosily underthe eider-down, and promptly went to sleep; but Aldred lay awake for along time, thinking, and in spite of her brilliant triumph of theevening the tenor of her thoughts was far from satisfactory andagreeable.