pale.
"Susan Martin?" she said. "Do you know her?"
"Of course I know her, Annie. What a queer colour you have turned! Shehas been making several things for me during the last few days. She isvery much excited, poor girl, about a manuscript book of poems which youborrowed from her. She said you wanted them to show to a judge ofpoetry in order to help her to get them published. I had not an ideathat the poor girl was a poet."
"Oh, she is," said Annie, who by this time had recovered herself-possession, and whom the very imminence of the danger rendered cooland self-possessed. "She writes quite wonderfully. I did borrow herbook to show to Uncle Maurice; he is such a good judge."
"Oh, was _that_ all?" said Priscilla. "I thought from Susan's mannerthat you knew some publisher. She thinks a great deal about her poems."
"Yes, poor girl!" said Annie; "I must write to her."
"Have you shown the poems to your uncle, Annie?"
"Not yet, Priscilla. Uncle Maurice has not been well; I could not worryhim with those sort of matters."
"Not well?" said Priscilla. "And you have left him?"
"Yes, my dear, good Priscilla," said Annie; "I have been wicked enoughto do so. He is too ill to be bothered with Susan Martin's productions,but not too ill to afford me a pleasant little holiday. Now do let'schange the subject."
"With pleasure," said Priscilla. "I wish to change it, if you don'tmind, by shutting my eyes, for I have a very bad headache."
While Priscilla slept, or tried to sleep, Annie sat back amongst hercushions lost in thought.
"Really," she said to herself, "if all the things that I have donelately were discovered I should have but a poor time. I forgot allabout Susan Martin and her manuscript book. It came in very handily atthe time, but now it is no end of a bore. I ought to have cautioned hernot to speak of it to any one. It is a great pity that Priscilla knowsabout it, for if by any chance she asks Susan to show her the book, thetwo poems attributed to Mabel will immediately be discovered. CertainlyPriscilla is a disagreeable character, and I cannot imagine why I havebothered myself so much about her."
The railway journey came to an end, and a short time afterwards thegirls found themselves greeted by Lady Lushington and Mabel at the GrandHotel.
Lady Lushington was a tall, slender woman of from thirty-eight to fortyyears of age. Her face was rather worn and pale. She had a beautifulfigure, and was evidently a good deal made up. Her hair was of afashionable shade of colour. Annie concluded at once that it was dyed.Priscilla, who had never heard of dyed hair, thought it very beautiful.
"My dears," said the good lady, advancing to meet both girls, "I amdelighted to see you.--Mabel, here are your two young friends.--Now,will you go at once with Parker to your rooms and get ready for dinner?We all dine in the restaurant--demi-toilette, you know. Afterwards wewill sit in the courtyard and listen to the band."
"I will come with you both," said Mabel, who, dressed with extreme careand looking remarkably fresh and handsome, now took a hand of each ofher friends.--"This is your room, Priscilla," she said, and she usheredPriscilla into a small room which looked on to the courtyard.--"Parker,"she continued, turning to the maid, "will you see that Miss Weir haseverything that she wants.--Now, Annie, I will attend to you. You don'tmind, do you?--for it is only for one night--but you have to share myroom; the hotel is so full, Aunt Henrietta could not get a room for youalone. But I will promise to make myself as little obtrusive aspossible."
"Oh May!" said Annie, "I am just delighted to sleep in a room with you.I have so much to say--dear old May!" she added suddenly, turning andkissing her friend. "I _am_ glad to see you again!"
"And I to see you, Annie," replied Mabel. "I am having a glorious time,and want you to share it with me. Aunt Hennie has just been splendid,and has given me a completely new wardrobe--the most exquisite dresses,all bought and made at the best shops here, quite regardless of expense,too. I cannot tell you how much they have cost. How do you like thispink silk? Isn't it sweet?"
"Yes, lovely," said Annie, thinking with a sigh of her own poor clothes.But then she added, "Rich dresses suit you, Mabel, for you are made ona big and a bountiful scale. It is lucky for me that I can do with leesfine garments."
"Oh, but I assure you, Annie, you are not going to be left out in thecold. You must have no scruples whatever in wearing the clothes thatAunt Hennie has got for you. She wants to take some young girls aboutwith her, and she would not have you a frump for all the world; so thereare a few pretty, fresh little toilettes put away in that box by Parkerwhich I think will exactly fit you. There is a dress on that bed--oh,only white lace and muslin--which you are to wear this evening at therestaurant dinner; and there is a smart little travelling-costume foryou to appear in to-morrow. You can leave them all behind you at theend of your jaunt, if you are too proud to take them; but, anyhow, whilewith us you have to wear them _nolens volens_."
"Oh dear!" said Annie, almost skipping with rapture, "I am sure I am nota bit too proud."
"We have got things for Priscie too," said Mabel, "and I do hope shewon't turn up crusty; she is such a queer girl."
"Why ever did you invite her, Mabel?" asked Annie.
"Why did I invite her?" said Mabel. "It was not my doing, you may besure. Not that I dislike the poor old thing; far from that. She isquite a dear. But, of course, what I wanted was to have you to myself;but no--Aunt Hennie wouldn't hear of it; she said that nothing wouldinduce her to take two girls about with her. Her remark was that weshould always be together, and that she would be _de trop_. Now shedoesn't mean to be _de trop_, so one of us is always to be with her, andthe other two can enjoy themselves. She said at once, when I broachedthe subject of your joining us, that you might come with pleasure, andshe would be only too delighted if another of our schoolfellows came aswell. My dear, I argued and argued, but she was firm. So then I had tothink of poor Priscilla, for really there was no one else to come; noneof the others would dream of giving up their own friends and their ownfun; and there was Priscilla landed at the school. So I told AuntHennie what she was like--grave and sedate, with grey eyes and a nicesort of face. I assured her that Priscie was a girl worth knowing, andAunt Henrietta took a fancy to my description, told me to write off toher and to Mrs Lyttelton; and she wrote herself also; and, of course,Mrs Lyttelton jumped at it. So here we are, saddled with Priscie, andwe must make the best of it. Dear Annie, do take off your hat andjacket, and get into your evening-dress; we shall be going down todinner in a few minutes. I will help you with your hair if you need it,for I expect Parker is having a war of words with Priscilla. There'ssuch a sweet dress waiting for Priscie to wear--dove-coloured silk, madevery simply. She will look like a Quakeress in it; it will suit her toperfection."
Just at that moment a commotion was heard on the landing outside; ahurried knock came at the room door, and Priscilla, flushed, untidy, andwearing the same dress as she had travelled in, stood on the threshold.Behind Priscilla appeared the equally disturbed face and figure ofParker.
"Really, Miss Lushington," began Parker, "I have done all I could--"
"Your conduct is not justifiable," interrupted Priscilla. "I am verysorry indeed, Mabel; you mean kindly, of course, but I cannot wearclothes that don't belong to me. I would rather not have dinner, if youwill excuse me. My head aches, and I should much prefer to go to bed."
"Oh dear," said Mabel, "what a fuss you make about nothing, Priscie!Why, the dress is all part of the play. Let us think of you as actingin a play while you are with Aunt Henrietta and me; if you take a partin it, you must dress to fit the part. Oh, put on your lovely greysilk--you will look perfectly sweet in it--and come down to dinner withAnnie and me. See Annie; she is in her white muslin already, and looksa perfect darling."
"I feel a perfect darling," said Annie. "I love this dress. I adorefine clothes. I am not one little bit ashamed to wear it."
"Well," said Priscilla, "Annie can please herself; but if I ha
ve to wearother people's clothes, or clothes that don't belong to me and that Ihave no right whatever to accept, I shall have to give up this trip andgo back to England to-morrow."
"Oh dear!" said Mabel, "you are queer, Priscilla. I do wish--I do_wish_ I could persuade you."
"It is all useless, miss," said Parker in an offended tone; "I havespoken to Miss Weir until I am tired, and she won't see reason.--Yousee, miss," continued Parker, "the dresses are bought, and if you don'twear them they will be wasted. I understand proper