pride, miss, butthis does not seem to me reasonable, miss. You will forgive my sayingso?"
"Yes, Parker, of course I forgive you," said Priscilla; "but all thesame," she added, "I shall go on this expedition in my own clothes or Idon't go at all."
"You will be a fright," said Annie.
"I would rather be a fright and myself; I should not feel myself inother people's clothes."
"You are very silly," said Mabel. "Can I do nothing?"
"I will talk to you afterwards, Priscilla," said Annie.--"Let her alonenow, May. She had a bad time crossing, and I dare say would rather goto bed.--You will look at all these things in a different light in themorning, Pris."
"We shall have to be off fairly early in the morning," said Mabel, "soyou may as well go to bed if you are dead-tired, Priscie.--Parker, willyou get some tea and anything else that Miss Weir may require, and haveit brought to her room?"
"Thank you," said Priscilla. She stood, tall, awkward, and ungracious,before the other two. They felt that she was so, and that there wassomething in her expression which made them both, deep down in theirhearts, feel small. Annie could not help saying to herself, "I wouldn'tgive up the chance of wearing pretty clothes;" and Mabel was thinking,"If only Priscilla were well dressed she would look handsomer thaneither of us."
A minute later Priscilla turned to leave the room. "I am very sorry,girls," she said.--"Perhaps, Mabel," she added, "as you are leaving inthe morning, I ought to see Lady Lushington now."
"Oh, dear me!" said Mabel; "you will put Aunt Hennie out enormously ifyou worry her now."
"Still, I think I ought. I am terribly sorry, but she ought tounderstand immediately my feelings in this matter."
"Let her go; let her speak to your aunt," whispered Annie.
"Very well," said Mabel. "You will find Aunt Henrietta," she continued,"waiting for us all in the drawing-room."
Priscilla immediately left the room. She walked across the broadlanding to the private sitting-room which Lady Lushington occupied inthe hotel. The latter was standing by a window, when the door opened,and a tall, rather untidy girl dressed in dark-blue serge of no gracefulcut, with her hair brushed back from her forehead and her face muchagitated, appeared before that lady.
"I have something to say to you, Lady Lushington," said Priscilla.
"You are Priscilla Weir?" said that lady. "There is a great differencebetween you and the little girl with the blue eyes. What is her name?"
"Annie Brooke."
"You are very great friends, are you not?"
"We are schoolfellows," was Priscilla's reply. Lady Lushington lookedall over the girl. The expression of her face signified disapproval;but suddenly her eyes met the large, grey ones of Priscilla and acurious feeling visited her. She was a kindly woman, although full ofprejudices.
"Sit down, child," she said. "If you have something really to say Iwill listen; although, to tell you the truth, I am exceedingly hungry,and am waiting for you all to dine with me in the restaurant."
"I am not hungry," said Priscilla, "and, if you will excuse me, I willnot go to the restaurant to-night; your kind maid will bring mesomething to eat in my bedroom."
"You are tired from your journey, poor girl! Well, then, go to bed andget rested. We start for Interlaken in the morning."
"That is why I must trouble you to-night," said Priscilla.
"Why, my dear? Do sit down."
But Priscilla stood; only now she put out a slim hand and steadiedherself by holding on to the back of a chair.
"It was a great delight to come to you," said Priscilla, "and a verygreat surprise; and when you arranged to pay all my travelling expensesand to take me about with you from place to place, I consented withoutmy pride being especially hurt; for I felt sure that in many small waysI could be of use to you. I thought over all the different things Icould do, and, somehow, it seemed to me that I might make up to you forthe money you are spending on me--"
"But when we ask a guest," interrupted Lady Lushington, "to go with uson a pleasure-trip, we don't form a sort of creditor and debtor accountin our minds; we are just glad to give pleasure, and want no return forit beyond the fact that we _are_ giving pleasure."
"I understand that," said Priscilla, her eyes brightening; "and thepleasure you would give me would be, oh! beyond any power of mine todescribe, for there is something in me which would appreciate; and if Iwere to see great, grand, beautiful scenery, it would dwell always in mymind, and in the very darkest days that came afterwards I shouldremember it and be happy because of it."
"Sit down, child. How queerly you speak! You have very good eyes, letme tell you, child--fine, expressive, interesting eyes."
Priscilla did not seem to hear, and Lady Lushington was more impressedby this fact than she had been yet by anything she had discovered abouther.
"There are the clothes," said Priscilla, bursting into the heart of hersubject, and interlacing her long fingers tightly together. "I--youwill forgive me--but I am too proud to wear them. I cannot, LadyLushington. If you won't have me shabby as I am--and I am sure I amvery shabby--I cannot come with you. You will be so exceedinglygenerous as to let me have my fare back to Lyttelton School, and I shallalways thank you for your best of best intentions. But I cannot wearclothes that I have not earned, and that I have no right to."
"But Annie Brooke?" interrupted Lady Lushington.
"I am not here to answer for Annie Brooke," replied Priscilla with greatdignity. "If you want me, you must take me as I am."
"I declare," said Lady Lushington, "you are a queer creature. And youreally mean it?"
"Yes--absolutely. It is just because I am too proud. I have no rightto my pride, perhaps; still, I cannot let it go."
There was a world of pathos in Priscilla's eyes now as they fixedthemselves on the worldly face of the lady.
"You are quaint; you are delightful," said Lady Lushington. "Come asyou are, then. You will perhaps not be too proud to allow Parker toarrange your hair so as to show off that fine head of yours to the bestadvantage. But even in rags, child, come with us; for any one freshlike you, and unselfconscious like you, and indifferent to outwardappearance like you, carries a charm of her own, and I do believe it isbeyond the charm of dress."
When Lady Lushington had uttered these words Priscilla went up to herand took her hand, and suddenly, before the great lady could preventher, she raised that hand to her lips and kissed it. Then she hurriedfrom the room.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
A DELICIOUS DINNER.
After a time Annie Brooke and Mabel Lushington joined Lady Lushington intheir smart dresses. Mabel looked most imposing in her pretty pinksilk, and no one could look fresher and more charming than Annie in thewhite lace and muslin which fitted her trim little figure so nicely.
Lady Lushington was standing very much in the same position in which shehad been when Priscilla left her. She turned now as the two girlsentered. There was a frown between her brows, and she scarcely glancedat either of them.
"Come, come," she said crossly, "how much longer must I be kept waiting?We will go down in the lift, Mabel; you lead the way."
Mabel immediately went first, Lady Lushington followed, and Anniebrought up the rear. They entered a large lift, and presently foundthemselves on the ground-floor of the great hotel. In a very short timethey were in the restaurant, which was quite the most brilliant anddazzling place Annie Brooke had ever seen. It seemed to be almostfilled with gay ladies all in full evening-dress, and gentlemen inimmaculate white shirt-fronts, white ties, and dinner-jackets. Therewere waiters rushing about here, there, and everywhere; and the tables,covered with their snowy napery, were further adorned with dazzlinglybright glass and silver; and, to add magic to the general effect, alittle electric lamp with a silk shade over it stood in the centre ofeach table. There were flowers, also, in abundance. In short, thewhole place seemed to Annie to be a sort of fairyland.
A few people glanced up from their
own tables when Lady Lushington,accompanied by the two girls, crossed the huge room to the table setaside for her party. She sat down, and Mabel and Annie found places ateach side of her. A menu was immediately presented to her by a mostgentlemanly man whom Annie thought perfectly fascinating in appearance,but who only turned out to be the head-waiter. Lady Lushington orderedcertain dishes and two or three kinds of wine, and the meal began.
Annie was both hungry and agitated; Mabel was somewhat indifferent.Lady Lushington ate steadily and with considerable appetite, but all thetime wearing that slight frown of disapproval on her forehead.