Three Girls from School
terrace. I can tell you I feltdistinguished."
"You poor dear!" said Mabel. "Why, of course you ought to have had teawhen we had it. I will say this for you, Annie, that you are thequeerest mixture I ever came across. You have--oh, you know the side towhich I allude; but then, on the other hand, you are the most absolutelyunselfish creature that ever lived. Why, even Parker has been enjoyingdelicious tea, and we never thought of you at all."
"Poor little me!" said Annie. "Well, it doesn't matter, for, you see, Ithought of myself. Now I will leave you. Be sure you make an effectivetoilet to-night. There are really some very nice-looking peopledownstairs; we shall have a jolly time at this hotel. What a good thingit is we got rid of Priscie! She made us look so odd and peculiar."
"I suppose the poor thing is bored to death at Hendon by this time,"said Mabel.
"Oh no, she is not quite there yet; she will have plenty of time tothink of her conscience while she is at Hendon. And now you and I willforget her."
Annie spent the next hour or two on the terrace--where she pretended toread--and looked at the different visitors as they came in and out ofthe hotel. She went up in good time to her bedroom, and Parker, who wasalways exceedingly particular with regard to the dress of both the youngladies, arrayed her on this occasion in a dress of the softest, palest,most becoming blue _crepe-de-Chine_. This demi-toilet, with itselbow-sleeves and lace falling away from the young, round throat, wasabsolutely the most becoming garment Annie could possibly wear. Itseemed to add to the blue of her blue eyes and to bring out the goldenshades of her lovely hair.
She felt as she entered the great _salle-a-manger_ that she was lookedat very nearly as much as Lady Lushington and Mabel. They had apleasant little dinner in one of the great bay windows, which commandeda glorious view of the Alps; and during dinner Lady Lushington was hermost charming self, and continued to be exceedingly friendly to Annie.
It was not until the meal had nearly come to an end that a remark wasmade which caused both girls to feel slightly uncomfortable. LadyLushington turned to Mabel.
"My dear Mabel," she said, "I am really rather annoyed."
"What about, auntie?"
"Oh, please don't be annoyed this glorious evening," interrupted Annie;"we are so happy and you are so sweet. I thought perhaps we might havecoffee on the terrace; I know the very table where we can sit and we canwatch the moon sailing up from behind that great mountain--I cannotpossibly remember its name; I am not good at all at names."
"We will have coffee on the terrace if I wish it, Annie Brooke. In themeantime I want to say what I have to say."
No one knew better when she was snubbed than Annie. She immediatelyretired into her shell and looked very modest and pretty--something likea daisy when it droops its head.
"I have been asking Parker about the jewels," continued Lady Lushington,turning to her niece, "and she assures me you did not give her thenecklace to put away with the other things." Mabel coloured.
Annie said at once, "Mabel dear, did you not put it into the tray ofyour trunk? You know I asked you to be sure to give it to Parker."
"I was in such a hurry at the last minute, I had not time; but it isquite safe in my trunk," said Mabel.
"Well, I hope it is," said Lady Lushington; "but it is a foolish anddangerous thing to do; and, Annie, I thought _you_ would see that Parkerhad the necklace. However, no matter now; you will give it, Mabel, toParker to-night. It is not safe to have valuable jewels lying about inthese hotels. You know that there is a notice in every room that theproprietors will not consider themselves liable if they are lost. Noone can tamper with the jewel-case, however, when it is under Parker'scare."
The girls murmured something, and the subject was dropped. They thenall went out on the terrace. They had not been there more than a minuteor two when a lady was seen to emerge from a shadowy corner and advancetowards Lady Lushington. There was an affectionate interchange ofgreetings, and Annie whispered to Mabel to come away.
"How tiresome!" said Mabel. "When once Aunt Henrietta gets hold of anold friend she is good for nothing. Now she won't take us anywhere andwe shall be as dull as ditch-water."
"Oh, nonsense, Mabel! We will make friends on our own account. What agood thing the friend is not Mrs Ogilvie!"
"How can you tell that she isn't?" said Mabel. "Why, of course sheisn't; Mrs Ogilvie's name is not on the visitors' list."
The girls paced up and down.
"I got a great fright at dinner," said Mabel after a pause; "but youhelped me out of it as usual."
"Yes; but it was an awkward moment," said Annie. "I didn't for a momentsuppose that your aunt would keep on thinking of that necklace. I hopeshe won't insist on seeing it. I am afraid, after all, even though MrsOgilvie is not here, we must manage to lose it."
"Oh! I shall go wild if I have to go through that sort of thing," wasMabel's answer.
"Besides," continued Annie, "the friend your aunt met may be another ofthose women who adore looking at bargains and old-fashioned gems. I amcertain we shall have to lose it; there is no other possible way out."
"And I know I shall die in the process," said Mabel. "I feel myselfquite wasting away."
"You are too silly," said Annie. "You look as bonny as ever you canlook, and there isn't a scrap of any appearance of decline about you."
It was at that moment that Lady Lushington's voice was heard calling inthe darkness, "Mabel, come here!"
"Now what does she want?" said Mabel.
"Come with me, for goodness' sake, Annie! I can't walk a single step ofthis tortuous way without your help."
"Really, Mabel," said Annie, "you are using quite a poetic expression.Your character of a poetess will be established, my dear, if youcontinue to speak in that vein."
"Mabel!" said her aunt.
"I will help you through your tortuous way," laughed Annie; and thegirls advanced arm-in-arm.
"Mabel," said Lady Lushington, "I have the pleasure of introducing youto my dear friend Mrs Ogilvie."
Poor Mabel gave a start; but for Annie's supporting arm, big as she was,she might have fallen.
The terrace was lighted with Japanese lanterns, which swayed slightly inthe faint breeze. These cast lights here and there, and immense shadowsin other directions. Annie and Mabel had now got into the light. LadyLushington moved a step or two, bringing Mrs Ogilvie forward as she didso, and the four figures were all distinctly visible.
"Which of these girls is your niece, my dear Henrietta?" said MrsOgilvie.
"This is my niece, Susan," was Lady Lushington's response; and Mabelfelt her hand clasped by a kindly but firm palm. She looked into theeyes of a tall woman with a pleasant expression of face, who wasbecomingly dressed in black lace.
This lady had hair turning grey, and a face which did not show theslightest trace of being made up. She might have been fifty years ofage.
"I must also introduce you," said Lady Lushington, "to our little friendMiss Brooke. Miss Brooke: Mrs Ogilvie."
Annie's hand was also held for a minute, and Annie instantly rememberedthat she had sat next this lady when she was enjoying her tea on theterrace, and that Mrs Ogilvie had seen her pay for her own meal. Butshe could not allow this trifling circumstance to worry her on thepresent occasion; there were too many other rocks ahead.
"We will go into the hall in a minute or two," said Lady Lushington;"and then, Mabel, you will go upstairs, please, and bring down the pearlnecklace which I bought at Interlaken. Mrs Ogilvie is so muchinterested in antique gems and old settings that I was telling her aboutit."
"You sometimes do pick up good things," said the lady, "inout-of-the-way places. From what you tell me, Henrietta, you seem tohave hit upon a bargain."
"I must be just," said Lady Lushington. "I should never even have heardof the necklace but for this dear, clever little girl, Miss Brooke. Itwas she who discovered it."
Mrs Ogilvie glanced for a minute at Annie. Annie's eyes were raised and
fixed on the good lady's face.
"How lovely it is here!" said Mrs Ogilvie after a pause. "I think thepeace of nature the most soothing thing in all the world. Don't you,Miss Brooke?"
Annie said "Yes," uttering the word with a little gasp. She waswondering in her heart of hearts what to do next. Whatever happened,she must rush upstairs with Mabel. How could she have overlooked MrsOgilvie's name in the visitors' list? But Mrs Ogilvie's next wordsexplained the circumstance.
"We too are fresh arrivals," she said. "We must