uncomfortablecircumstances--they reached Spenser Terrace, and flinging the wetumbrella at Harriet to look after, slowly made their way upstairs totheir own room.
Chrissie tore off her hat and coat with her usual haste. They were notvery wet after all, but as she was tossing the jacket aside, somethinghard bumped against her knee.
"There's something in one of the pockets," she said, feeling in it asshe spoke. Then out she drew her own prayer-book. "Look here, Lell,"she exclaimed, restored to good-humour by her triumph. "It was in hereall the time--ever since last Sunday, I daresay."
"I daresay," repeated Leila scornfully. "There never _was_ any one socareless as you. You'd better run down and put Aunt Margaret's treasureback in its place before she misses it."
Christabel started. She got red, then white. She glanced at the bed,where her hat and gloves were lying; she felt in her frock pocket, shestared at the floor, then in terror and despair she burst out--"Lell,Lell, what shall I do? I've lost _it_."
CHAPTER TEN.
PETER'S PLACE.
Leila gasped. For once, her better feelings came to the surface. Theenormity of the misfortune aroused her sympathy so fully as to drownevery less amiable feeling. Then she pulled herself together.
"It _can't_ be lost--you were thinking of it all church-time; youcouldn't have carried it carelessly. Feel in your other coat packet."
Chrissie shook her head.
"No, no," she said, "I _know_ I didn't put it in my pocket; and now Iremember that the last time I had the _feeling_ of it was in the churchporch, when there was all that fuss about the rain and the umbrellas. Idropped it then, or in the street just after, and oh, if it was in thestreet, it'll have got soaked in the rain and ruined! And I do believeAuntie cares for it more than anything in the world. It was hergrandmother's. _Oh_, Leila," and she clasped her hands in misery.
"Don't begin crying about it," said Leila, though not unkindly. "Let'shunt about a little," and her eyes wandered round the room. "Mightn'tyou have dropped it on the staircase?" She turned towards the door, butChristabel stopped her. "No, no," she said, "it's no good. I know nowthat I didn't bring it home. And I hear them all coming in, Leila.Don't seem to be looking for anything."
"Perhaps we may get it back," said Leila, who could use her wits toadvantage when she aroused herself to give her full attention. "Thething to be done is to ask for it at the church. If we could but getthere by ourselves." Then her eyes turned to the window. "I wonder ifit's going to rain all day."
A sudden thought struck Christabel.
"What Sunday is it? The first of the month! Oh, I do believe it's theSunday when there's a Children's Service in the afternoon, and Mummysaid once that she thought it would be nice for us to go. Suppose weask her to let us?"
"If it leaves off raining," said Leila. "I don't think we'd be allowedto go again if it pours. But it's looking brighter."
"Oh, do let's try to manage it," said Chrissie, clasping her hands."I'd rather--well, rather do _anything_, or have the horridest pain,rather than tell Aunt Margaret that I've lost her book."
"Yes," said Leila, piling on the agony, "for, of course, you couldn'tcall it an accident, as you'd no business to take it."
"And if _you'd_ been,"--began Chrissie, but she did not finish thesentence, for at that moment the gong sounded for the early dinner--onSundays now everybody's dinner--and the children had to hurrydownstairs. On reflection, too, Chrissie said to herself that it wouldbe "awfully silly" to quarrel with Leila.
"She's been kind about it, and I could never manage without her," shethought; and as they were entering the dining-room she whispered to hersister, "_You_ ask; I really daren't."
It was new for Christabel to own to "not daring" about anything in theworld, and Leila felt rather gratified at being trusted in the matter.Nothing was said till dinner was nearly over; the children were veryquiet and behaved to perfection. Mrs Fortescue felt pleased. Thisstate of things, following on Chrissie's attentive looks in church, madeher begin to hope that her anxieties about her little daughters werelikely to grow less, and inclined her to consent to Leila's unexpectedrequest.
"Mummy," she said, "Chrissie and I would like to go to the Children'sService at church this afternoon. It's the Sunday for it, and we knowthe way there quite well, of course. Mayn't we go?"
Mrs Fortescue smiled.
"I should very much like you to go," she said, "and I think I can quitetrust you by yourselves. But how about the weather?"
"It is clearing," said Mr Fortescue, "and the glass is going up. Yes--I think they may safely go."
Chrissie's face, which had been looking unusually solemn, brightened up.But it clouded again as her father went on, patting Jasper, who wasseated next him, on the head--
"And this little man? Wouldn't you like to escort your sisters tochurch, Jap?"
"In course I would. I'll cally your numbrellas and your church-books--all of them, if you like."
"Then that's settled. Roley and I are going a good walk," continued MrFortescue. "We need a breath of fresh air, after working so hard allthe week, don't we, my boy? And it will give Aunt Margaret and yourmother a nice peaceful afternoon, which I am sure they will be glad of."
"Let's be ready early, Lell," said Chrissie, when they were bythemselves, "and then perhaps we could ask about it as we go in."
"If only Japs wasn't coming," said Leila. "But if we had seemed not towant him, they'd have been vexed."
"P'raps he won't notice," said Christabel.
For once they were ready in exceedingly good time--too early, in fact--so afraid were they of a sudden shower of rain, or any other unluckyevent, stopping their going. As they ran downstairs their father, whohad not yet started on his walk, called them into the drawing-room--thedoor was standing open, and thus he heard them passing.
"Children," he said, "don't try any short-cuts to church. Go as we wentthis morning. I particularly want you not to go by Peter's Place--youknow where I mean?--a street of small houses round the first corner fromthe church."
"Oh yes," replied Chrissie glibly. "I know. We did pass that way once,but it's much nicer to keep to the wide streets."
"Then you quite understand? You promise to go the way we went thismorning," he repeated.
"Yes, certainly," said the two together. "Where's Japs?" Chrissie wenton. "I wish he'd come."
"I'm here," the little boy called out, running downstairs. "I'mpairfitly ready. I didn't know you'd come down," and off the three set.
"Why did you say that about Peter's Place to the children?" MrsFortescue inquired.
"Because," Mr Fortescue replied--"because I saw something in the papersyesterday about an outbreak of scarlet fever there. It was quicklystopped, and there are no fresh cases, but anything like that lingersabout, especially in cottage houses of that sort. And there is not theslightest need to pass anywhere near the place."
"Of course not," Mrs Fortescue agreed. "But I am glad you rememberedto warn them."
"It was nothing locally wrong," he added. "It was brought from adistance, I saw. Yes," he added, "on the whole, I suppose we are reallysafer in London from epidemics than in most country places."
The children reached the church in good time, but though they glancedabout as they entered, the little girls saw no one of whom to inquirefor the missing prayer-book.
"We must ask as we come out," whispered Leila, for as yet the misfortunehad not been told to Jasper; "and do let us sit in the same place, or asnear as we can to where we were this morning, just _in case_ you droppedit there."
But Chrissie shook her head.
"No," she replied, "I'm certain I didn't leave it in the church. It wasout here, I'm almost sure," and her eyes searched all round the porch,but in vain.
The service was not long, and not dull. There was a good deal ofsinging, which the children enjoyed, and the little address wasinteresting and impressive. It was almost impossible _not_ to listen.
"Oh," thought Chrissie at the close, "if only we can find theprayer-book, I do think from now I'll try to be less careless, and`gooder' altogether;" and in her way Leila, too, felt the influence ofthe wise and kindly words.
Outside they waited a few minutes till the little crowd