A City Schoolgirl and Her Friends

  CHAPTER XIV.

  OFF TO A HOME AGAIN.

  The mystery of Doreen's behaviour being cleared up, the two Whartonsthought no more of Mr. James and his acquaintance with their movements.But a week later, when the little house was practically taken, MissWharton had a letter from Mr. Stacey which made her think that 'people'did interest themselves in her private affairs, and mingled with hergratitude was a feeling of resentment.

  However, she read the letter to Vava, who by no means shared thisresentment. 'Sending us some surplus furniture which is not wanted upthere, and will nearly furnish our little house, is he? That's theMontague Joneses, you may be sure, Stella. How nice and thoughtful ofthem! I wonder if Mr. James Jones is any relation of theirs?'

  Now this thought had come into Stella's mind too; but she replied, 'Idon't think so. He would probably have mentioned it, and been ratherproud of the fact that some of his family owned Lomore.'

  'I don't believe he would mention it; he is too much of a gentleman,'maintained Vava stoutly.

  'Mr. James Jones?' questioned Stella, lifting her eyebrows at thischampionship.

  'Yes, and I want to know if he may teach me algebra?' continued Vava.

  Stella, as has been said, was a slow thinker, and the junior partner asa mathematical master was a novel and strange idea which she did nottake in at once. 'I don't understand. How can Mr. Jones teach youalgebra?' she inquired at length.

  'Quite well; he explained a difficult rule to me in about ten minuteslast Saturday,' said Vava.

  'You surely don't imagine that Mr. Jones has time to teach youmathematics in office hours? And he certainly can't teach you out ofthem,' objected Stella.

  'He has plenty of time; he says he's always slack on Saturday morningsafter he has given you the letters, and he will teach me forhalf-an-hour if you will let him,' explained Vava.

  Miss Wharton did not like the idea somehow. She did not want to be underan obligation to her employer; nor did she like to own to herself, farless to Vava, that the reason of her objection was a feeling that it was'because he thought she was pretty.' However, as she could not give thisreason, and had no other, she said reluctantly, 'It is very kind of Mr.Jones, but you must not take advantage of his good-nature; you must onlycome occasionally, not every Saturday.' Stella consoled herself with thethought that when they were in their new house Vava would no longer wantto come to the City with her, but would prefer to stay with DoreenHackney. Again it occurred to her to wonder how Mr. Jones knew they weregoing to Blackstead, and she felt rather annoyed at his impertinentcuriosity, in consequence of which her manner was so reserved, not tosay forbidding, that Mr. Jones in his turn wondered what was the matterwith his secretary, and whether she would never be more friendly withhim.

  'I don't want to be familiar, goodness knows; but really to work forhours every day with a person who treats you as if you were her deadlyenemy, and won't allow you even to ask if she is cold, and would likethe window shut or sit nearer the fire, is annoying, you must own?' hecomplained to his mother.

  The latter laughed at his aggrieved expression. 'Girls don't generallytreat you so badly, do they? Well, it won't do you any harm to besnubbed for once in your life, though it's only by a City clerk,' shereplied.

  'Only a City clerk? A disguised duchess would be nearer the mark! I 'mhelping Vava with her sums--Miss Vava, I beg her pardon--one has to becareful with any one belonging to Miss Wharton. I am surprised that sheallows me to give her sister algebra lessons, as Vava calls it. What astupid thing pride is, and, above all things, pride of birth. Think howmuch more she would enjoy life if she would be friends with us, insteadof keeping us at a distance as if we were dirt under her feet!' criedthe young man with irritation.

  'You would not take so much trouble if she were plain, and perhaps shefeels that,' observed his mother.

  'I should be civil to her, and she would be civil to me, which is morethan Miss Wharton is,' observed Mr. James Jones, taking up his hat to goto his office.

  His mother looked after him with troubled eyes. 'I am dreadfully afraidhe is getting to like that girl,' she remarked to her husband.

  'Then he'd better give it up, for she evidently doesn't care for him?'replied Mr. Jones.

  'He's good-looking enough to please most girls,' said his wife.

  'Yes, but Miss Wharton did not go to the City to flirt or fall in love,and I respect her all the more for it. I should like to ask her and thatlittle sister of hers here; but I suppose it's no use, eh?' he inquired.

  'Not a bit, especially as they are moving out of town; not but what Ishall call upon them when they are settled at Blackstead, and I'll seeif I can persuade them to come and dine here then,' she said.

  Stella Wharton ought to have been much flattered at the desire for hersociety and the trouble these rich people were putting themselves to inorder to make the acquaintance of their son's clerk; but it is to befeared that if she had known it would neither have flattered nor pleasedher--poor proud Stella! But the kindness of the Hackneys pleased her,and she did not seem to mind accepting civilities from them.

  It was Stella's house, taken in her name, and the other two were toshare it for a year, furnishing their own rooms and a sitting-room; therest was being furnished by Stella, chiefly from Lomore, where old'nursie' was finding unexpected treasures.

  'If only she could come herself, Stella!' said Vava wistfully.

  But Stella replied decidedly, 'That is impossible; she could notpossibly do the work of that house alone, and we cannot afford twoservants.'

  So Vava gave up all hope of seeing her old nurse until fate should takethem north again.

  The next time the youthful housekeepers went to Heather Road to measurerooms and windows, the exact sizes of which Mrs. Morrison wrote fromScotland that she wished to know, Mrs. Hackney as usual asked them to goin to tea with her, and, in the course of conversation with Stella,observed, 'If I may be allowed to make a suggestion, I should not get aservant at once; it will be amusing for a short time to do a littlehousework, and while everything is new and clean there will be no hardwork to do. Besides, the Easter holidays are soon coming, and you wantto go to the sea for a few days to bring the roses back to this younglady's cheeks.'

  'Oh I think it will be change enough to come out here,' said Stellaquickly.

  'Then you will have plenty of time to do your own work,' agreed Mrs.Hackney, guessing that motives of economy prevented the girls from goingaway at Easter, and respecting Stella's sturdy independence and thriftyways.

  Stella, for her part liked and respected Mrs. Hackney, and she and Amydecided to take her advice, and do without a servant, for the present atleast.

  In spite of Vava's disappointment at not having 'nursie' at No. 2Heather Road, she found herself counting the days until they moved.

  Nor was Eva less enthusiastic. Indeed, her enthusiasm went rather toofar; she was always buying something or other 'for her bedroom.'

  'There won't be an inch of wall-paper to be seen, Eva,' Vava warned her,as she showed her the tenth picture she had bought for it.

  'Oh yes, there will; it's wonderful what a lot you can get into a room,and pictures brighten up a place,' she argued.

  But one day Eva came to the club in a state of great excitement.'Girls!' she cried, including Stella in this familiar address, 'I havejust bought myself the sweetest suite of furniture you ever saw!'

  Every one was surprised at this, for only the day before Eva hadannounced in melancholy tones that she had spent her last penny, andcould buy no more pictures, for which she had developed a mania.

  'I thought you had no money?' said Vava, with her usual impulsivecandour.

  'Oh that's all right; the man does not want to be paid yet. I know youdon't approve of that; but it is a case of Hobson's choice with me, andheaps of people do it,' she said, turning to Stella.

  'I only disapprove of it for myself. What is your suite like?' inquiredStella with extra geniality, because she wished to put Eva at her ease.

>   This was very easily done, for things, as a rule, did not go deep withthat young lady, and she replied, 'It is inlaid walnut, and the wardrobehas three cheval-glasses, so that you can see all sides of you at onceand how your dress hangs, and that's a thing one never can see, and I dohate a skirt that dips at one side or is short in the front and dragglesbehind, so you can all come and look at yourselves in my glass beforeyou go out; and the washing-stand is a dream too, with tileshand-painted; so is the chest of drawers. You will all fall in love withit when you see it, as I did.'

  'Was it very expensive?' asked Vava.

  'No, not very, considering how beautiful it is,' replied Eva airily.

  All this time Amy had said nothing, but looked rather grave, and now sheinquired, 'Did you say you had bought it, Eva?'

  'Yes--that's to say, I have ordered it, and it is to be sent down to 2Heather Road on the 19th of March.'

  This was the day before the girls were to move in; it was a Friday, andthe Hackneys had offered to take in anything that was sent downbeforehand, and suggested their coming in on the Saturday beforequarter-day.

  'It will prevent their breaking into another week's rent at theirlodgings,' Mrs. Hackney had suggested to her husband. And as it was themost convenient day for them to move, it was decided to ask for aholiday from their various chiefs in the City, and start the newexperiment on the 20th of March, and most of the furniture was beingsent the day before.

  But Amy looked hurt. 'Have you chosen it without me?' she asked.

  Eva coloured up as she answered in rather a hurried way, 'I couldn'thelp it. I did it rather suddenly, and the man said he could not promiseto keep it for me. Besides, I knew you would only object, now you'vebecome so strait-laced and are furnishing your room out ofpacking-cases.'

  Amy took no notice of this scornful accusation. 'But you can't havebought it alone? The man would never sell furniture on credit to a girllike you,' she protested.

  Eva got very indignant. 'Why not? I suppose he knows he can trust me?'she said.

  'But that is just what he cannot; you are only sixteen, and he could notrecover from you if you did not pay. I can't understand it,' observedAmy.

  'You are not wanted to; it's all arranged, and the suite will arrive onthe 19th of March, and I shall pay so much a week honestly until I havepaid up,' said Eva.

  But Amy would not let the matter rest; and, failing to get anysatisfaction out of Eva, she took counsel with Stella, rather to thelatter's embarrassment. However, as Amy seemed to be really worried,Stella tried to comfort her without being false to her principles. 'Itcannot be more than a few pounds. They get up these suites to look verypretty for a low sum, and if none of the drawers shut, as often happens,it will be a lesson to her; and as for the payments, fortunately shegets her money weekly, so she can pay regularly.'

  'But she can only pay a few shillings a week, and that only by beingvery economical and self-denying, and Eva is neither by nature. Besides,I cannot get her to tell me where she bought it, nor what agreement shehas signed,' said Amy.

  'I think that may be because she knows we all disapprove of gettinggoods on credit,' suggested Stella.

  'Still, there is something I do not understand about it; no reputabletradesman would enter into an agreement with a young girl like Eva. Ihope--I do hope--she has not done anything foolish,' Amy said with asigh.

  Stella thought there was no doubt about that, though she did not say so,for she expected to see some showy, sham walnut suite which Eva had beeninveigled into buying by some unscrupulous tradesman; but she only said,'One learns by experience. I should not say any more about it; it is toolate to stop her, and perhaps when we all live together she will be moreopen.'

  But Amy had not told Stella her real fear, lest she should be shocked;but the truth was she was haunted by a horrid suspicion that Eva hadbought the furniture in their names, or done something she was ashamedof; else why did she so obstinately refuse to say where she had boughtit? But it was not much good asking herself these questions, for therewas no answer to them for the present, and the answer when it did comewas not pleasant.

  In the meantime there was plenty to do, for they were to take possessionof their new abode in a fortnight, and every minute was spent in runningup casement cloth for curtains, hemming dusters, and shopping. Stellahad not thought she could be so happy in this wilderness of bricks.

  Mrs. Hackney was kindness itself, and yet she kept at a distance andnever once came into the new house, which looked very pretty, with itspapers, self-coloured in most of the rooms, though Eva had chosen abright floral paper covered with pink roses.

  Mr. Jones noticed the brighter looks of his secretary, though he made noremark, not even when she asked to be excused from coming to the officeon the 20th of March, a request which he immediately granted.

  And at last the eventful day came, and at the very early hour of six thefour girls started from their respective houses. They travelled out bythe same train, alighted at Blackstead, and set off for No. 2 HeatherRoad, where they arrived not long after seven o'clock to a series ofsurprises.