Three Girls from School

character ought only to be put in prison. But she wouldnot live in prison--she, the gay, the clever, the free, the bold. Shewould not lose her liberty; it was worth a struggle to keep it. And shehad her stolen money; it should do something for her; it should help herto keep the only thing left--the power to go where she pleased, to dowhat she liked.

  "Annie, my darling!" called Mrs Shelf's voice at the outside of thelocked door.

  "Coming in a minute, Mrs Shelf," said Annie, making an effort to speakcheerfully.

  She knew well that if she was to carry out her project she must be verywary, she must make her plans. Fortunately for herself, she nowbelieved that she was an experienced traveller, and that, once on theContinent, she could easily baffle all attempts at discovering her.

  She went to a glass and surveyed her little face. It had more colourthan it had the day before, for excitement and the imminence of herperil brought back some of her old vivacity.

  After a minute's pause she opened the door and ran downstairs. MrsShelf was in the kitchen. She was engaged mournfully and withconsiderable pain searching through cupboards and counting out all thepossessions of the late Rev Maurice Brooke which would now belong toAnnie. The poor housekeeper was sighing bitterly over her famous storesof jam, over her incomparable jellies, over her pickles, her liqueurs,her bottles of home-made wine. Not for her again would the trees in thegarden blossom and bear fruit; not for her would the strawberries reddenor the raspberry-canes yield of their abundance. Other people who couldnot possibly understand the value of the dear old garden would possessit; it would pass into the hands of strangers, and poor Mrs Shelf feltperhaps as acutely as Annie herself that her life was over. Far morethan Annie, too, did this worthy soul love the good old man who hadpassed away.

  It was a tearful face, therefore, she turned upon the girl.

  "Ah, my dearie!" she said, "the days are turning a bit nippy for thetime of year, and I thought you would be lonesome all by yourself inyour bedroom. Come along and sit by the fire for a bit, won't you,lovy? and I'll warm you up a cup of good broth. I have some lovely andtasty in the pantry. Then maybe you'd help me to make a list of theglass and china and the old silver. There's a quantity of old silver,and most beautiful it is; and it's all yours, dear. Whenever you starta house of your own, you won't have to go far to seek for means ofmaking it pretty. There'll be the silver and the china, and thatmagnificent Crown Derby dinner-set that your precious uncle took suchpride in; and there'll be the great branch candlesticks--old Sheffieldthey are, and very valuable; and there'll be the beautiful house linen--such linen as is not to be found anywhere else in the country-side. Youwon't be so bad off when you settle down with your good man, MissAnnie."

  "I'll never have a good man," said Annie in a petulant tone. "Nothingwould induce me to marry. I hate the thought of it."

  "Poor lamb!" said Mrs Shelf; "you are but a baby yet; but the time willcome--you mark my words."

  Annie made no reply. She gazed drearily into the fire. She waswondering how she could circumvent old Shelfy, who might, if she chose,prove a sad hindrance to her getting away before Saxon's return.

  "Shelfy," she said, "don't let's bother about the old things now. Itell you what: I'll go into the dining-room and write some letters--ohno! I couldn't go near his study. I'll just go into the dining-roomand stay there for an hour or two; and then, if you will give me somelunch early, I will come and help you in the kitchen soon after that;but I don't feel up to it this morning. When did John Saxon say hewould be back, Shelfy?"

  "Not to-night, darling, but some time to-morrow for sure. He's a verygood young man, is Mr John."

  "Well, Shelfy, you know I hate good young men," said Annie.

  Instead of reproving her, Mrs Shelf laughed.

  "I declare, now," she said, "that speech of yours, naughty as it is, ismore like your old self than anything I have heard you utter since youcame back. But you mustn't turn against Mr Saxon, lovy, for he is justthe best of the best, and sets store by you; any one can see that."

  "Well, I will go into the dining-room now," said Annie; and she went outof the kitchen.

  Mrs Shelf, quite cheered and reassured about her, went busily on withher duties, and Annie was presently able to go softly to her ownbedroom, where she made preparations. She fastened her precious notesinto her little pocket, which the placed in an inner petticoat, keepingout enough small change for her immediate necessities. She thencarefully chose from her wardrobe some of the least smart dresses shehad worn when at Interlaken. She must not wear her black; that wouldcause her to be discovered immediately. But the pretty print andcambric frocks which she had looked so charming in while away from homewould not be recognised by any of those who might possibly think itworth while to follow on her track. A dark-blue dress which she used towear when travelling with Lady Lushington would also come in handy. Inshort her very modest little wardrobe was quickly selected and put intoa small travelling-bag which the could carry herself in one hand.

  She could take this as far as the railway station; but that railwaystation was not to be the one just outside Rashleigh village, butanother called Norton Paget, which was situated three miles farther downthe line. Not a soul would recognise Annie at Norton Paget in theclothes Lady Lushington had given her. It would be easy to go fromNorton Paget to London by the night express, and once in London, shewould take an opportunity of getting as far away from England as hermeans would permit.

  Annie from time to time had been fond of reading detective stories, andin these she had learned that there was no place so splendid for hidingin as London itself. She did not know London very well, however, andfelt that she would be safest farther afield.

  Having carefully packed her little bag, she hid it in a deep cupboard inher room, locked the cupboard, and put the key in her pocket. She thenwent downstairs.

  Mrs Shelf coaxed her to come into the kitchen and share her dinnerthere. The dinner was very good and nourishing and comforting, andAnnie ate quite heartily. She knew well that it was necessary tohusband her strength. How to get Mrs Shelf, however, away from theRectory for two or three hours towards nightfall was the problem whichexercised Annie's brain. Think and think as she would, she was puzzledhow to manage this. For if Mrs Shelf was in the house, Annie knew wellthat she could not possibly leave it without being heard. If Mrs Shelfmissed her at once, the hue and cry would be raised, and she could notpossibly walk to Norton Paget with her somewhat heavy bag before beingdiscovered. It was, therefore, necessary to get both Mrs Shelf and Dan,their one outside factotum, off the premises.

  Almost immediately after lunch, the morning, which had been a bright andsunny one, clouded over and the day became threatening. A few drops ofrain, too, fell at intervals, and there was a slight autumnal sound inthe wind.

  Annie started up from her meal apparently quite excited and anxious tobegin those lists in which Mrs Shelf took so deep an interest. Thewoman and the girl, therefore, began systematically to count over pilesof linen, stacks of china, quantities of glass, and then, when thesewere done and they were both somewhat tired, to plunge into themysteries of the famous store cupboard. Annie jotted down items onlittle scraps of paper.

  All of a sudden, as the dusk was beginning to fall, she turned to hercompanion.

  "Now I tell you what it is, Mrs Shelf. We will make a clear list of allthese things before I go to bed to-night."

  "Oh, nonsense, my dearie!" said Mrs Shelf. "You will be killed overit."

  "No, I won't. I should like to do it. I sleep very badly, and shouldenjoy the work. Please take me when I am in the humour, Shelfy; youknow I am hard to control when I turn contrary."

  "That you are, my love; but you have been very sweet since you returnedfrom Switzerland."

  "Well, if you want me to go on being sweet you must do what I want."

  "And what is that, dear?"

  "You must just put the horse to the gig and get Dan to drive you in toRashleigh in order to buy a pr
oper manuscript book for me to write mylist in."

  "Oh, but must I do that to-night and leave you all alone?"

  "You can go and come back within an hour and a half," said Annie; "and Iwant some other things, too--lots of cottons and needles, and some blacklining for that new dress which I am going to make for you."

  "Oh, my darling, you are kind!"

  "And some oil for the sewing-machine; in fact, a whole list of things.You may as well get them all while you are about it, Shelfy, do youhear?"

  "But I hate leaving you."

  "And why should not I be left for an hour or an hour and a half, or eventwo hours? Do go--do, dear--and get me the book. I want it dreadfullybadly."

  Annie,