CHAPTER XXIX.
DOWN BY THE WISTARIA.
Augusta came down to lunch in high spirits. All was going swimmingly.She would have no difficulty now in carrying out her daring scheme.The point of danger was practically passed. Nancy sat during lunch atthe same side as Augusta, so that astute young lady could not manageto see her face; but after lunch the beginning of the little programmewhich she had sketched out for Nancy's benefit ought to have beenbegun. The endearing words, the suggestion of the night to be spenttogether, ought to be spoken. But immediately after the meal was overNancy jumped up and ran out of the room.
"Tiresome little thing, is she forgetting?" said Augusta to herself."Oh! perhaps it will do equally well at tea-time."
But at tea-time Nancy was not there, and when Augusta inquired insolicitous tones where the little favourite could have hidden herself,Nora said:
"Oh! Nancy is not coming back to tea; she has gone for a walk in thewoods with Miss Roy. She has gone, I think, to see little GraceHammond, and to find out how her bird is."
"Did you want her for anything?" asked Kitty.
"No," replied Augusta crossly; "I just asked where she could be. I amvery fond of little Nancy."
All Augusta's plans had now to be rearranged. Having got over herfirst wild anger against Nancy, she determined to ignore her, to doexactly what she pleased in spite of her, and trust to the littlegirl's promise not to tell unless she were obliged to.
"Of course, she will never be obliged to," said Augusta to herself; "Ishall take good care of that."
She then sat down and thought over matters. Yes, there was nothingwhatever for it but to get out of her window, to climb down by thewistaria, and at night to return the same way. She could not possiblyrisk the chance of a window being open downstairs.
Fairleigh was an old-fashioned house, with shutters to all the lowerwindows, which were fastened by iron bars. It was situated quite byitself, and in a somewhat lonely part of the country, and theseprecautions were considered advisable. Night after night the servantsclosed the shutters and barred them, so there was no possible ingressby any of the lower windows.
Augusta considered herself in luck to have a room practically in awing all by herself. She went to the window and looked down. NeitherNora nor Kitty would have thought anything of descending to the groundand climbing up again by the thick arm of the wistaria which ran allround this part of the house. But Augusta was not athletic, and hadshe been less set upon her evening's amusement, she might havehesitated at the peril of letting herself down and of returning againby such romantic means.
"Nothing venture, nothing have," however, and to go to the party shewas resolved. She went downstairs, saw Kitty, and said in a voicewhich she rendered quite hollow:
"I am very ill indeed, Kitty; I have one of my desperate headaches. Dosay good-night to the others, and forget all about me until you see meto-morrow morning."
"Are you going to bed?" said Kitty. "It is not seven o'clock yet."
"I must lie down; I cannot hold my head up another moment."
"But can't I do something for you? May I come and bathe your head,Gussie? I should like to, really."
"No, thanks," replied Augusta. "I would far rather be alone; quiet isall that I require. Don't send me up anything to eat. Don't have medisturbed on any account whatever. Good-night, Kitty, and saygood-night to the others for me; what I want is quiet."
"You do look bad," said Kitty in an affectionate tone. She kissed hercousin, and then ran into the grounds. Nora and Uncle Peter wereenjoying themselves under the shade of a big elm tree.
"I am so sorry about poor Augusta!" said Kitty.
"What about her?" said Uncle Peter.
"She has gone to bed with a bad headache; she says she is not to bedisturbed. Oh! there is Nancy.--Come right over here, Nancy, and tellus about the bird."
"The bird is quite well," answered Nancy.
Her pretty face was pale, and there were big dark shadows under hereyes. Uncle Peter stretched out his hand and made room for her to seatherself near him.
"Has the wrong been put right?" he whispered.
She coloured and looked up at him.
"No," she answered slowly, speaking almost into his ear. "But thewrong is not _more_ wrong than it was this morning."
"What a conundrum!" he said, with a laugh; but his laugh was uneasy,and he looked seriously at the child.
"There is something more the matter with her than I had any idea of,"was his thought.
"Augusta is ill," here called out Kitty; "she has gone to her room,and is not to be disturbed."
Captain Richmond had his arm round Nancy, and he felt a shiver runthrough her frame as Kitty uttered these words.
"What _can_ it all mean?" he said to himself.
Meanwhile Augusta upstairs, even the mere thought of a headacheforgotten, was getting ready for her party. She put on her prettiestwhite dress; the idea of borrowing a dress from the Asprays was not tobe thought of for a moment. She tied a pale gold sash round her waist,and arranged her hair simply. Finally, she encircled her round andpretty throat with a single row of valuable pearls, and slipped a goldbangle on her arm. Her dress was pretty and suitable, and she lookedwell in it. She gazed at her own reflection in the glass withcomplacency. As a rule she had very little colour, but it was mountingnow with a rich damask hue into each of her cheeks. Having attiredherself all but her dancing-shoes, her gloves, and her fan, sheslipped on her waterproof. This completely covered the white dress.She buttoned it right down, put a cap on her head, and looked out. Theground was about five-and-twenty feet away, but it seemed to Augustathen to be quite at a giddy distance. For a careful climber there wasno difficulty in the descent. It was but to place a foot on one branchafter the other of the wistaria, which spread forth its branches towithin three feet of the ground, and the deed was done.
In order to make things more safe Augusta had tied a strong cord toher window-sash; and then, the time being come and the home party allin the house enjoying their supper, she locked her door, put out thelight, and began her descent. With the aid of the rope she was able tomanage it, and trembling very much, she finally reached the ground.
Were the moon to come out brightly, and were any one to walk round tothat part of the house, that person might observe the rope hangingfrom the window, and the window itself a little open. But Augusta musttake her chance of that. The sky was clouded over, too; it wouldprobably rain before long. So much the better for her.
She ran quickly across the grounds and entered the woods. How dark andsolemn they were at this hour! Had she been less excited she mighteven have felt a little bit afraid. But her excitement kept allnervousness at bay.
She ran on and on. Once she stumbled upon the stump of a tree whichwas sticking out of the ground. She fell and slightly grazed her arm,jumped up again, and went on.
At last she had reached the farther entrance to the wood. Here Flora,with the dogcart, ought to have met her; but there was no Flora and novehicle of any sort in sight. What was to be done? Was it possiblethat Flora could have forgotten? Oh no, that would not be like herfriend.
Augusta stood still, panting slightly, and feeling, for the firsttime, subdued and a little alarmed. Should she go back and give up allher glorious fun for which she had risked so much, or should she goforward?
The Asprays' house was two miles away. She made up her mind to walkthere.
"Oh, how unkind of Flora--how horrid of her!" thought Augusta. "Whatcan--what can be the meaning of this? Well, I will get there somehow,and shame her to her face."
Accordingly, she started off to walk as fast as she could over thedusty roads. It was nearly ten o'clock when she reached the Asprays'.She was surprised to see no signs of festivity. A few lights wereburning in the drawing-room, and a few also in the dining-room. Butthe place wore no air of expectancy or bustle or gaiety.
"What can it mean? Have I come on the wrong night?" thought Augusta.
She ran up the steps an
d sounded the front-door bell. In a moment thebutler threw open the door.
"Is Miss Flora in?" asked Augusta, in some wonder.
"Yes, miss; but----
"I want to see her. I must see her at once. Show me somewhere," saidAugusta in peremptory tones.
"My mistress said, miss, no one was to come into the house, but"----
"Nonsense!" said Augusta. "I will see Miss Flora, and immediately."
The man took Augusta into a small room on the ground floor, switchedon the light, and left her. In a minute or two Flora rushed in.
"Gussie," she said, "how madly dangerous! What have you done it for?"
"What have you neglected me for?" said Augusta, opening her mackintoshand revealing her pretty evening-dress. "What is the matter? This isthe night of your party, and you promised to meet me outside our wood.You never came, and I have walked all the way; and, oh, I am so tired,and so dreadfully frightened! What is it, Flo? What is wrong?"
"Then you never got my letter?" said Flora.
"Oh no; but please explain this mystery. I am so tired. Is not there aparty to-night? Oh, I have gone through such a lot to come! And nowwhat can this mean?"
"I am ever so sorry," said Flora. "Mother would be quite mad if sheknew you had come into the house, Gussie. It is too late for the restof us, unfortunately; but for you"----
"Oh, what is it?"
"It is Constance. She is awfully ill--most fearfully, dangerously ill.We have all been with her until this morning, and the doctor says thewhole house is infected. It is smallpox. Oh, isn't it frightful?"
"Smallpox!" said Augusta.
She would not have feared scarlet-fever or diphtheria. Butsmallpox--that ghastly disease which did not always kill, but whichtook the lovely and the graceful and the gracious and defiled them;which made the fair face hideous, destroyed the right proportions, andstamped them for life!
Augusta, like every other girl in all the world, was afraid ofsmallpox.
"How was it I never got your letter?" she said.
"It was only known this morning," continued Flo. "Even last night wedid not think much about it. She was fearfully ill, of course, and Islept in her room. But she is subject to bad feverish attacks, and wehoped she would get well, and that we need not put off the party. Thedoctor came early this morning; and--she is covered with it. Oh, it isfrightful! I have been vaccinated, and so has every one else in thehouse. But the doctor says we have all run the gravest risk. There isno use in our going away, however, for no one would take us in."
"And is she--is she in danger?" Augusta cried, feeling a slight pangof remorse as she remembered Constance's delicate and lovely features.
"Oh, I don't know. They say it is a very bad case; she is quitedelirious. Oh, it is awful! I saw her this morning, and I would nothave known her. I am awfully upset, and I feel sick with terror.Gussie, you ought not to have come in."
"Perhaps I had better go away," said Augusta. "I am very sorry, ofcourse. It was a pity you didn't let me have the letter."
"Mother gave it to the groom to take to you, but I suppose in thescare he forgot it. I will speak to him in the morning. Would you likehim to drive you back now, Gussie? But the dogcart is not quite safe,for poor Constance drove in it the day before yesterday. She faintedbefore we brought her home; that was the beginning of her illness."
"I had better walk," said Augusta. "Good-night."
"Good-night. I won't tell mother that you came, as she would be insuch an awful fright. But I hope you have not run any danger. Perhapsyou had better tell your doctor and be vaccinated at once.Good-night--good-night."
Augusta went away. She did not even turn to kiss Flora. She nodded toher vaguely, as though she were not thinking about her, and walkeddown the avenue. When she had gone down a little way she turned andlooked up at the windows of the room where the sick girl laystruggling with death. She gave a shudder, and hurried her footsteps.
What an end to her mad adventure!
She was very tired, and all the excitement which had kept her upduring the past day was now merged into a great terror. What shouldshe do? Had she contracted infection in that terrible house? Ought sheto be vaccinated?
All her thoughts were for herself. She was more angry with Constancethan sorry for her. How severely that groom ought to be blamed for notdelivering the note!
It was after eleven o'clock when she got back to Fairleigh. Had thingsturned out as she expected she would not have got back nearly so soon.The house was in darkness except for a light in the library window.The window was shut, and so were the shutters, but the light came outon the gravel through one or two of the chinks.
Augusta knew that Captain Richmond was there. He generally stayed inthe library for an hour or so after the others had gone to bed. Justfor a moment a wild longing came over her to tell him what hadhappened--to seek his advice. If she were infected, had she any rightto infect the others?
She must not attempt to go back to her room while Captain Richmond wasin the library, for the library was almost immediately under her room.
"What a nuisance his sitting up so late!" she thought.
She was too tired to walk another step. She sank down on a gardenseat, wrapped her mackintosh round her, and tried to think; but herhead was giddy, and her brain in a whirl. Her one and only desire wasto get back safely to her room--to fling herself on her bed and loseconsciousness in sleep.
Even the prize, the great and glorious prize, was as nothing to hernow. Even school in Paris seemed remote and uninteresting. Suppose shesickened for smallpox. Suppose her face, so smooth and fair andattractive-looking, was altered and made ugly. Suppose she--died.
"Oh, why doesn't that horrid man go to bed?" thought the girl. Shejumped up and paced about on the grass. She had been too hot; she wasnow too cold.
After a time, to her horror, she heard the shutters being unbarred.The window opened, and Captain Richmond put out his head.
"Is anybody there?" he said. "I thought I heard some one speak. Isanybody there?"
There was no answer.
Augusta, in terror, was hiding behind a bush of laurustinus.
Augusta in terror was hiding behind a bush oflaurustinus.]
"I must have fancied it," thought the Captain,
He waited for another minute, then shut the window, refastened theshutters, put out the light, and went up to his own room.
Augusta breathed a sigh of relief. Creeping carefully forward, shereached the wistaria, and clutching the cord, began cautiously toascend. But if she had been nervous descending from her window, thatwas nothing at all to her present feelings. She was thoroughlyunstrung, and very tired. When she had nearly reached the top she gavea sudden lunge forward, missed the rope, and only saved herself byclutching hold of the bare arm of a part of the vine.
In doing so she gave her wrist intolerable pain, and very nearlyfainted. But the danger in which she found herself steadied her nervessufficiently to enable her to make another great effort, and a momentlater she was safe inside her room.
"So much for stolen pleasures," thought the miserable girl. "Here I amback again, battered, torn--oh, how my wrist aches!--and having runinto the gravest danger of my whole life. But there! I must only hopefor the best. Now to untie the cord, put it carefully out of sight,shut the window, take off my horrid, useless finery, and get intobed."