CHAPTER XIX
Morland on Leave
At the end of June Morland came home on leave. He looked well in hiskhaki. Military training and camp-life had already worked wonders withhis physique; his lanky, overgrown aspect had disappeared, his chestmeasure had increased, and he proudly showed the muscle in his arm. Hisfather, always with an eye to artistic effects, wished to sketch him fora picture of Hector, and indeed, with his classic profile and short,crisp, curly, golden hair, he would have made a capital representationof that Trojan hero. But Morland absolutely struck at the suggestion ofsitting as model, declaring that he meant to enjoy himself during hisbrief leave, and should not even show his nose inside the studio.
"Dad must paint the kids," he confided to Claudia. "I'm fed up withportraits. Don't even mean to have my photo taken if I can help it. Youremember that picture of me when I was about five--'Grannie's Darling'?It came out as a coloured Christmas supplement, and was stuck up ineverybody's nursery. Well, they got to know at the camp that I was theoriginal of it, and they led me a life I can tell you! They'vechristened me 'Grannie's Darling'! I'm not going to be 'Hector' oranybody else! It isn't good enough! I sometimes wish I were as dark as agipsy and had a broken nose! They couldn't call me 'My Lady's Lap-dog'then! Do you know, they caught me once and held me down and tied a blueribbon round my neck! I gave them something back though, for ragging me!They didn't get it all their own way. Lap-dog indeed! Wait till I'm outat the front, and I'll show them who's the bull-terrier!"
"Poor old boy, it seems to rankle!" consoled Claudia laughingly. "Ishould think it's probably envy on their part. They wish they could sendas good-looking a photo home to be put in a locket! Just forget themwhile you're on leave. We'll try to do something jolly. What would youlike best? It's Saturday to-morrow, so I'm at your disposal. Shall we gofor a picnic somewhere?"
"Yes, if the kids don't trail after us! I don't bargain to take Beata,Romola, Madox, Lilith, Constable, Perugia and perhaps the baby in itspram!"
"You shan't! I'll see to that. Just Landry and I'll go, and we won'ttell the small fry we're off."
"How about the grotto?"
"A1! I'll ask Lorraine to come with us. The tide will be just right toget round the rocks, so we'll take our lunch and eat it there."
Lorraine, shamelessly regardless of appointments at the dentist's anddressmaker's, accepted the invitation, and joined the party with apicnic-basket. It was an ideal day for the excursion; the warm sunshinewas tempered by a cool breeze blowing in straight from the Atlantic; thesea had assumed its summer hue of intense blue-green, and the cliffswere covered with the beautiful crimson wild geranium.
The young people loitered along in no particular hurry, looking out tosea at the vessels, picking flowers or wild strawberries, or even a fewearly dewberries. As they wound up the path by the coast-guard stationthey heard voices behind them, and a little party consisting of anofficer and two ladies passed them, walking briskly in the direction ofthe moors. Morland, who had saluted, turned to the girls with aneloquent face.
"It's Blake, our captain," he explained. "I saw him travelling down onThursday, and I believe he's staying at the 'George'."
"Do you like him?" asked Claudia.
"Like him? If there's one man on the face of the earth whom I abhor it'sthat fellow! Thinks he's the Shah of Persia and we're dirt under hisfeet! He's not popular, I can tell you. He makes my blood boilsometimes!"
"He's dropped something," said Lorraine, bending down and picking up asmall leather dispatch case that was lying by the side of the pathway.She handed it to Morland.
"Could you run after him and give it to him?" suggested Claudia to herbrother.
"I shan't trouble myself. He's gone too far."
"We can leave it at his hotel afterwards then."
"I suppose we can, though if he flings his things about like this hedoesn't deserve to have them returned to him, the blighter!" grousedMorland, pocketing the case with a frown. "I wish Blake was taking hisleave somewhere else. I'd rather not breathe the same air with him!"
"Is it as bad as all that?" asked Claudia.
"Worse!" said Morland gloomily. "But I don't want to talk abouthim--he's the skeleton at the feast--the crumpled rose-leaf--the snakein the paradise--the anything else you like that spoils my enjoyment!"
"Rather mixed similes," laughed Lorraine. "But never mind! We'll forgethim if you like. He certainly didn't look at all attractive in myopinion."
Morland pulled a face and shook a fist in the direction in which hisofficer had disappeared, then declared himself better and ready to jogalong.
They found their special property--the cave--still uninvaded. Novisitors had yet happened to come across it. The table and seats and thelittle cupboard at the end were just exactly as they had left them lasttime. They collected some driftwood, lighted a fire on the rocks below,and boiled their kettle. It was delightful to have a picnic again in thegrotto. As they sat chatting afterwards, Morland pulled from his pocketthe leather case which Captain Blake had dropped on the path. He turnedit over thoughtfully.
"I've a score or two to settle with the owner of this," he remarked."I'm not going to let him have it back too easily. I vote we just givehim a scare about it. Let him think he's lost it altogether."
"Is it anything important, I wonder?" asked Claudia.
"The more important the better--serve him right for losing it. Isay--I'm going to stow it away here in the cupboard. It'll be quitesafe, but he won't know that, and I hope he'll be in a jolly state ofmind about it. We'll give him a fortnight to get excited in, then yougirls can come and fetch it, make it into a parcel, and leave it at the'George', and ask them to send it on to him at the camp."
"It would really serve him right," sympathised Claudia; "only I don'tquite know----"
"I _do_ know!" chuckled Morland. "It's the best rag I've ever had thechance of playing on him, and you bet I'll take it."
"Suppose he finds out?" suggested Lorraine.
"He won't find out. How could he? You girls will just leave the parcelat the 'George', and say someone who picked it up had handed it over toyou, and will they please forward it to the officer who was stayingthere. Nothing could be simpler."
"Are those the papers that send Morland to the war?" asked Landrysuddenly.
"Don't you worry your head about them," answered Claudia soothingly."They're nothing to do with you, Landry."
"I don't want Morland to fight!" persisted the boy. "Morland shan't goto the war!"
"I'll be off some day, old sport!" laughed Morland.
"To-morrow?"
"No, no, not to-morrow; but before so very long, I hope."
"Will the Germans shoot at you?"
"You jolly well bet they will!"
"Don't excite him, Morland," interfered Claudia; for when Landry oncewoke out of his usual stolid calm and began to trouble his poor dullbrains with questions, he was apt to get peevish and troublesome. "No,no, Landry dear; Morland is quite safe at present, and we won't let theGermans get him. Take this basket down to the beach and find me somemore shells. I want some yellow ones to finish the pattern I was makingon the ledge here."
Claudia was an adept at managing Landry, and could keep the boy quietand change the current of his impulses when others only irritated him.She put a basket in his hand and a yellow shell for a pattern, led himby the arm to the mouth of the grotto, and showed him the spot on thebeach where he would be likely to find more. To her relief, he departedquite happily on the errand. She had been afraid he was on the verge ofa burst of temper. She turned to her other brother.
"I'd a great deal rather you took that officer's case back to him rightat once, Morland!"
But Morland was in a don't-care mood.
"He's not to have it for a fortnight. If I don't leave it in thecupboard here, I shall just chuck it into the sea, so I give you fulland fair warning! Be a sport, Claudia! Here's Lorraine ready to see thefun of it. Aren't you, Lorraine?"
Neither of the
girls was really quite easy about the propriety of thushiding the officer's papers, but to please Morland they consented to doas he wished, and to come again in a fortnight to fetch them. After all,it seemed only a sort of practical joke, and, to judge from Morland'saccounts, ragging was very much in fashion at his camp, among theTommies at any rate. So long as Captain Blake did not find out who hadkept the leather case there would be no trouble, and they thought hedeserved some punishment for his arrogant behaviour towards his men.
It was a concession which they afterwards deeply regretted.