Blanche: A Story for Girls

onlyangry--very angry. What do you think Mrs Harrowby said?"

  "I'm sure I don't know," said Blanche. "When I looked across at you, Ithought you were getting on so well. Lady Hebe said that that was MissMilward whom you were talking to, and that she is so nice."

  "The plain girl--indeed, she is almost ugly--with the beautiful eyes,"said Stasy eagerly; "yes, she was awfully nice. But Mrs Harrowby spoiltit all. Just when everybody was standing up to go, she came bustlingforward--"

  "She doesn't bustle," interposed Blanche.

  "Well, never mind--up she came, and began talking to those Wandle girlsand me in a patronising sort of way: `Your roads lie in the samedirection; you will be going home together, I suppose?' I stared, andto do them justice, _they_ looked uncomfortable. `Oh no,' I said, `Ithink you do not know me. I came with my sister, Miss Derwent. I havenot the--' Then she interrupted me. `You don't mean to say you have notmade friends yet? and such near neighbours!' And she was on the point,the very point, Blanche, of insisting on our `making friends,' as shecalled it, when Lady Hebe came up about some books or something, and Imanaged to get out of the way. That was why I was fidgeting so to gethold of you. Blanchie, I _won't_ be treated like that. I wish we hadnever gone to that horrid tea-meeting."

  Blanche looked distressed.

  "And yet, Stasy," she said, "you were the one to want to make friendsout of school, so to say, with some of the Blissmore girls--the verysame class as those here, some of them actually relations."

  "Not all of the same class," said Stasy; "some of them are much moreladies, only poor. And, besides, that would have been _quite_different, don't you see, Blanchie? It would have been me, or us, beingkind to them--not us being put on a level with them, as that MrsHarrowby wanted to do. But I don't think she will try that sort ofthing again, with me, at least."

  "How did the girls take what you said?" her sister inquired quietly.

  Stasy seemed a little uncomfortable.

  "Oh well, you know, it wasn't pleasant for them either. The dark one--she's much cleverer and quicker than the pretty, stupid, fair one--thedark one looked very grave, and I think she got a very little red."

  "Poor girl!" said Blanche--and something in her tone made Stasywince--"I daresay she did. _They_ did not deserve to be punished, thatI can see."

  "I never said they did, unless--well, if they are to be counted the sameas us, they should have tried to be kind and `neighbourly.' How I dodetest that word! It is so inconsistent. You seem to think I shouldhave been gushing over with amiability to them, just because they havenot even been honestly, vulgarly kind. Not that we wanted anything ofthe sort, of course. We are completely and entirely independent ofthem."

  "Yes; and for that very reason you could well have afforded to be simplycourteous. You may be pretty sure that if they have not called, it hasbeen that they thought we should not like it; and I don't say that weare in any way bound to make friends with people whose interests arequite different from ours, and who would have very little in common withus. But it could have done no sort of harm to have spoken pleasantly tothem, and _even_ to have walked home together, that I can see."

  Stasy did not reply. She was beginning to feel rather ashamed ofherself. Had she behaved "snobbishly?" Her cheeks burned at thethought of having appeared to do so: I fear her first misgiving dealtmore with this possible "appearing," than with the actual wrong orcontemptibleness of her feelings. Blanche walked on silently. She wasthinking to herself how the same spirit came out in different positions.There was Stasy, now, sixteen-years-old Stasy, showing already the sameworldly narrow-mindedness, which, had not Blanche's own dignity andself-respect been of exceptional quality, might have mortified her not alittle when shown to herself by Lady Marth.

  "I would not tell Stasy of it at present, on any account," she thought;"but some day I shall let her know how curiously the two incidents cametogether, and let her draw her own deductions."

  But she was sorry for Stasy too. She was at all times very tender ofher sister's faults and follies, and intensely sympathising in hertroubles. So she exerted herself to disperse the little cloud ofmortification which had gathered on Stasy's face; and when the twoentered the library, where their mother was waiting for them, they wereboth bright and cheerful, and ready to relate to her all the incidentsof the afternoon which were likely to interest her.

  "Lady Marth was there, you say?" she inquired. "I did not know she waslikely to belong to the girls' guild, or whatever you call it. I don'tknow that I should have cared to let you go had I thought she would bethere."

  Blanche looked rather surprised.

  "Why, mamma, what does it matter? Do you mean because she has notcalled?"

  "Not exactly. But she is the sort of woman who, unless she takes itinto her head to be civil to people, can be--very much the reverse.And"--Mrs Derwent's face hardened a little--"I don't want you and Stasy,my darlings, to be exposed to that kind of thing. Aunt Grace hinted atsomething of the kind, and since then I have remembered who Lady Marthis. She belongs to a family of no ancestry, but which has becomerapidly prominent through a mixture of cleverness and good luck. They--her people, the Banfleets--are now enormously rich, and pride themselveson their extreme exclusiveness. They are _plus royalistes que le roi_."

  "How detestable!" said Stasy, "and how contemptible! I am sure I don'twant to know them."

  "You can't call them really contemptible," said her mother. "They are avery talented family, in several directions too. And they are verygenerous and liberal and honourable. But this one weakness--the tryingto be just the one thing they are not--spoils them."

  "And, very likely, if they _were_ of very old descent, they would careless about it," said Blanche reflectively.

  "Perhaps so, but that does not always follow. Sir Conway Marth is amuch wider-minded man, but not specially clever. And he is of a veryold family. I used to know his sisters. They were thoroughly nice;more like that girl you have taken such a fancy to--his ward, I mean,"said Mrs Derwent. "But we cannot expect to know her in an ordinary wayif she lives with the Marths. I wish--" And then she hesitated, while atroubled look crept over her face.

  Blanche, who was sitting next her, took her hand and fondled it softly.

  "I know what you are going to say, mother dear," she said, "and you arenot to say it. Everything you have done has been for the best, and withthe best motives, and you are just not to wish it undone. We have amass of things to be grateful for and happy about, and why should weworry about things that, through no fault of ours, don't come in ourway."

  "Some of them may come in our way," said Stasy, whoso versatile spiritshad already gone up again. "I shouldn't wonder if that nice, ugly MissMilward were to call on us, and ask us to go to see her.--Oh Blanchie,there's Flopper rushing about over the flower-beds; he really must betied up, till he sobers down a little."

  "Run out and tie him up, then," said Blanche, and off Stasy set.Flopper was a new acquisition; a very interesting and aggravatingretriever puppy, with all the charms and foibles of puppyhood intenselydeveloped in him. Looking after Flopper was very wholesome for Stasy,her sister had discovered.

  Blanche turned again to her mother.

  "Mamma dear," she said, "I really think we must not get into the way ofseeing the worst side of things. If we are a little lonely, any way wehave each other, and such a charming home. Could any one picture tothemselves a sweeter room than this library? How our French friendswould admire it!"

  "Yes," said Mrs Derwent, "it is a delightful room. Of course, the nameis rather inappropriate, we have so few books."

  "We must get some more," said Blanche; "by degrees, of course."

  "I fear it must be by degrees," said her mother; "I cannot affordanything for the house at present, it has cost so much more than Iexpected. And there seems some little difficulty about our incomestill; the new partners are asking for longer time to pay us out in, andit will make it difficult to get good investments if the ca
pital isrealised so irregularly."

  "I don't understand about it," said Blanche. "But it doesn't matter forthe present. When Stasy is grown up, it would be nice to take her abouta little; perhaps to London now and then, if by that time we have madesome friends there. Mamma, couldn't we invite some of our old friendsto come to stay with us a little--Madame de Caillemont, for instance?"

  "She is too frail now, I fear, to come so far," said Mrs Derwent. "Andas for any one else--no, I don't feel as if I should like it.