A Bevy of Girls

well."

  "Just because she looks pale. You know that she is quite well; she isthe strongest of us all."

  "I don't know anything about that--she is going; that's all. She hasthe doctor's orders and it is arranged."

  "And it's because of her I have to stay at home?"

  "Don't keep me any longer now, Nesta. Put it out of your head, once andfor all."

  Ethel marched out of the room; but Nesta had no idea of putting thetempting subject out of her head. She went upstairs to her own room.She counted over the shillings left of her darling yellow-boy. She hadeighteen shillings and sixpence. Nesta was careful with regard to moneyand had not indulged Flossie beyond eighteen-pence worth of good thingsat Simpson's shop. With eighteen and sixpence, what could she not do?What pleasures could she not enjoy? Oh, she must go. She slipped herlittle purse under a pile of handkerchiefs on one of her drawers, tidiedherself as well as she could, and went into her mother's room. How hotand dull it all was. Her mother's face looked more fagged and tiredthan usual; but the girl, full of her own thoughts, had none for hermother.

  "Mothery," she said suddenly, "when do you think you'll be well enoughto go to the seaside?"

  "Oh, I should love it," said poor Mrs Aldworth, and she stretched outher arms wearily. "I am so hot and so tired; I'm sure if once I couldget there, it would do me a world of good."

  "If you do everything the doctor says, and keep on taking your tonics,you will be able to go in a fortnight's time, or so," said NurseDavenant. "Now, here is a delicious blancmange, you must eat it, andyou must take this cream with it. Come, now, dear, eat it up."

  "It does look good," said Mrs Aldworth; "but I get so tired of thesesort of things, and I am so hot--so hot!"

  This was her constant complaint. "Anybody would be hot," said Nesta,"who stayed in this stifling room."

  She went out and stood on the balcony. From there she saw, to herintense annoyance, Flossie and Penelope coming up the path towards thehouse, side by side. She wished she dared ask leave to go down; herface turned scarlet, and her heart beat quickly. What was to be done?She would have given anything at that moment to see Flossie. Of course,Flossie had come to arrange about the visit to Scarborough, and therewas so little time to spare.

  Mrs Aldworth's weak voice called her.

  "Dear, little girl, come in and sit on this stool at mother's feet, andtell me something funny."

  "I'll tell you a fairy story," said Nesta, sitting down. "It is allabout a poor fairy princess, who was all covered with coal-dust andgrime, and she wanted to bathe in the cool sea, and she couldn'tbecause--because--"

  "Why?" said Mrs Aldworth.

  "Because there was a horrid dragon--rather, a dragoness, who took allthe pleasures for herself, and left the poor little fairy princess topine, and pine--"

  "That doesn't sound at all a nice story," said Nurse Davenant. "There'sno sense in it either," she said, as she saw Mrs Aldworth's mouthquiver. "Now, get your book and read something. Here's `John Halifax.'Go on with that."

  Nesta was forced to comply. Mrs Aldworth had been interested in thebeautiful story when read aloud by Marcia, but Nesta's rendering of itwas not agreeable. "You gabble so, dear," she said, "and you drop yourwords so that I cannot always catch your meaning. What was that aboutUrsula?"

  "Oh, mother, it's so hot, and I can't read. I expect, mothery, I'm thefairy princess, the poor begrimed little princess."

  "You?" said Mrs Aldworth.

  "Yes, mothery."

  "Then who is the dragon?"

  "Old Marcia," said the child.

  She had scarcely uttered the words before Marcia herself came in.

  "Marcia," said Mrs Aldworth, her blue eyes brightening for a minute,"this naughty Nesta says you are a dragon, and she is a begrimed fairyprincess."

  "I don't understand," said Marcia. She looked at Nesta, giving her along glance, under which the girl had the grace to colour.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN.

  NESTA'S CUNNING SCHEME.

  Marcia never gave herself away. Nesta sincerely longed that she would,but there was not the most remote chance. She seemed, when dinner timecame, to have quite forgotten Nesta's spiteful speech. As a matter offact she had forgotten it. She was sorry for the child. She was sorryfor all her sisters; but still she was firmly convinced in her own mindthat they ought to look after their mother.

  Nesta, however, had no special duties that afternoon, and Marciarepeated Flossie's message that they were to meet in the middle of thewood.

  "Don't be too long away," she said, "but if you greatly wish to go tohave tea with the Griffiths, why you may. I understood from Flossiethat they were going to the seaside on Saturday."

  "Thank you, Marcia," said Nesta.

  She ran out of the room. Dress was indeed a matter of totalindifference to her. Once again, she flew down the path, entered thewood, and in a very short time she and Flossie were embracing eachother. Flossie was smartly dressed.

  "You are just as untidy as ever," she said. "But never mind. Whatabout the day after to-morrow? Are you prepared to come with us?"

  "I'm prepared," said Nesta, "but they're not."

  "Who are `they'?"

  "Oh, you know--all of them. I spoke to Ethel this morning, and she saidI hadn't a chance."

  "But it does seem cruel--you can't be cooped up in this hot place wheneverybody else is away enjoying themselves. You really must come withus--besides, I want you."

  "I want to go most awfully," said Nesta. "I've got my eighteen andsixpence, and we could have no end of fun."

  "Mother gave me five shillings this morning," said Flossie. "That, withyour eighteen and sixpence, would make twenty-three and sixpence--onepound, three shillings and sixpence. Think of it."

  "But it wouldn't be that way at all," said Nesta. "My eighteen andsixpence would be in my pocket, and your five shillings would stay inyour pocket. I'd treat you when I pleased, and you'd treat me when youpleased. Do you understand?"

  "Oh, yes," said Flossie, "of course." She really bore a great deal fromNesta, who could be quite unpleasant when she liked. "But the thing ishow to get you to the seaside. Do you think it would be any use forfather to go over and see your father, and tell him what a splendidchance it would be for you?"

  "No," replied Nesta, "there's only one way for me to go--I must runaway. I must meet you at the station, and when I get to Scarborough, Idon't suppose they'll bother about getting me back, and I can spendsixpence on a telegram and tell them where I am. I wouldn't sent ittill pretty late in the day, and then they couldn't get me back for aday or two. That would be the best thing--it's the only thing to do."

  Flossie sat down under a wide-spreading oak tree and considered Nesta'sproposal.

  "That would be right enough," she said, "as far as I am concerned, butyou have to think of father. He wouldn't take you for all the world ifhe knew you were coming in that sort of fashion."

  "Wouldn't he, Flossie? Why not?"

  "Because--although I dare say you think my father common enough--I haveoften seen that you do--he is very strict in his ideas, and he wouldn'tthink it right for you to come. If you manage your running away, youmust let father think you have got leave."

  "Well, can't you help me, Flossie? You are so clever in inventingthings. Even if I could have two whole days at the seaside I'd comeback better, and really and truly mother is quite convalescent, andthere are Molly and Ethel, and they have Nurse Davenant--they couldmanage her for the time being. Can't you help me, Flossie?"

  "I'll think," said Flossie. She remembered those stories which sheloved--those stories of naughty heroines and princes and princesses,when the princes always rescued the princesses, when the naughtyheroines were brought to see the error of their ways, although they hada dreadful time at first following their own devices. Flossie quitelonged to have a sort of affair going on in which Nesta should be ontenter-hooks, and very much obliged to her for all that she was doingfor her, and in
consequence inclined to spend her money for Flossie'sdelectation.

  "Well," she said, after a pause, "if I can manage it I will. I'll justget father to understand, without telling too big a tarradiddle, youperceive, that it is all right, and that you are coming. Then you mustbe at the station, and you must bring a box with you. You must on noaccount come without luggage, or he'd be up in arms