A City Schoolgirl and Her Friends

  CHAPTER XXVII.

  THE VALUE OF A GOOD CHARACTER.

  Vava tossed and turned and went to sleep, only to dream of prison cells,in which Eva was secured by heavy chains, which she (Vava) tried in vainto break, and it was from one of these nightmares that she awoke in themorning to the sound of a laugh. Sitting up in bed, Vava listened,hardly able to believe her ears, for it was Eva's laugh.

  'Stella,' she said in solemn tones to her sister, 'do you hear Evalaughing?'

  'Yes,' said Stella shortly; but the little word said a good deal.

  'Do you think she's in hysterics?' asked Vava.

  'No, I do not; she seems very cheerful,' replied Stella.

  Vava was very thoughtful; and when she went to the bathroom, Stellanoticed that she did not stop as usual to say good-morning to Eva as shepassed her door, at which her sister was rather pleased, for she did notapprove of Eva's light-heartedness under the circumstances.

  However, she greeted the girl kindly enough when they met at breakfast,and indeed it would have been difficult not to smile back at Eva's happyface, with a look on it that they had not seen since they had been atHeather Road. It scarcely needed Eva's announcement that she did 'feelso happy' to assure them of the fact, for she looked a different girl;'and I don't deserve it,' she added.

  There was silence when she said this, for if her three listeners hadspoken their minds they would have cried in chorus, 'Indeed you do not!'As it happened, however, it was Vava, with her usual candour, whodemanded, 'Then why do you feel happy?'

  'Don't you know?' demanded Eva, looking from one to the other; and then,seeing from their faces that they certainly did not know the reason forher change of mood, she continued, 'I thought Mrs. Morrison would havetold you.'

  'What has nursie got to do with it?' asked Vava.

  'Everything, she has been so good. She came up to me last night, andstraightened things out in the most wonderful way, as far as they can bestraightened, and I am going to keep them straight for the future,' saidEva.

  'I am very glad,' said Stella; but though she wondered how the oldhousekeeper had straightened out this tangled web, she was too polite toask any questions; nor, though they were burning with curiosity, did theother two do so either; Vava because she thought she should hear it from'nursie,' and Amy because she decided that Eva would prefer to tell herwhen the two of them were alone.

  Vava was disappointed in her hope of getting an explanation out of theold housekeeper, who, in answer to her questions, said, 'And what willit have to do with you, Miss Vava? I'm ashamed at your curiosity.'

  'I don't call it curiosity to take an interest in your friends, and Iwant to know that Eva is safe,' said Vava.

  'Oh if that is all you are asking, then I can answer you; she is safefrom being punished for her wrong-doing except by her own conscience,'replied Mrs. Morrison; and with this Vava had to be content, though itwas not all she wanted to be told, as the old woman very well knew.

  Amy, however, fared better, and came out of Eva's room looking radiant.'Stella, it is too good of Mrs. Morrison! Fancy, she is lending Eva thethirty pounds, and she is seeing the man herself; so we need not botherabout a lawyer or anything!' she cried.

  But Stella did not look at all pleased, and saying, 'Indeed!' she walkedstraight into the kitchen to have it out with nursie, who received herremonstrances very calmly.

  'Don't you fash yourself, Miss Stella, dearie; I'm not throwing away mymoney, and I am not spoiling Miss Eva, nor encouraging her either. Shewill pay back every penny, and a hard time she will have doing it too.'

  And with this Stella had to be satisfied. Mrs. Morrison was a woman ofgreat character, and what she thought it right to do she did, withoutpaying any attention to what people said or thought.

  'I shall not be back to dinner,' said Eva as she said good-bye to theother three.

  'Why? What are you going to do?' asked Amy anxiously.

  Eva coloured slightly as she answered in a would-be light manner, 'Ihave some work to do at the office; we are working overtime, so I shallbe late for the next few weeks,' and then she nodded and went off beforeshe could be questioned further.

  Amy turned to the sisters and said, 'I did her an injustice. I thoughtshe was taking things too easy, although I was thankful to hear that shehad been got out of her trouble; but this work that she speaks of isdreadfully tiresome, and all the lady-clerks refused it. She is gettingvery good pay for it, but it will tire her on these spring evenings.'

  'I did her wrong too. I am very glad she has taken this work and istrying to earn extra money; she will feel much happier,' said Stella.

  'Yes, and Mrs. Morrison has made her promise to bring her salarystraight to her every Saturday, and just ask her for what she needs; andEva says she means to live on two shillings and sixpence a week till sheis out of debt,' explained Amy.

  Stella gave a sigh of relief. 'Perhaps it has taught her a lesson,' sheagreed; 'and it is a blessing that it has ended better than weexpected.'

  Then the three started for the City with Doreen, who, of course, knewnothing of what had happened.

  'There's the chairman's motor at the school-gate,' exclaimed the latter,as she and Vava approached the City school.

  'Mr. Montague Jones's, you mean? So it is! I wonder what he has comefor? Something to do with the prizes, I expect,' said Vava, and shestopped to speak to the chauffeur, with whom she was a great favourite.

  'The master's in there; I believe he's looking for you,' the manobserved.

  'That isn't the proper place to look for me; I go in at the pupils'entrance, tell him,' said Vava.

  But Mr. Jones was not at that moment looking for Vava. He had been metby Miss Upjohn, who was very glad to see him, as she wished to speakabout some school matter, which being soon settled, Mr. Jones began atonce, 'And how is my little friend Vava Wharton getting on?'

  There was nothing unusual in his asking this, for it was his usualquestion, and the head-mistress replied with a smile, 'She is not verylittle, but she is getting on very well. I think you will have to giveher two prizes, which is rather unusual for a girl in her first term.She has done two excellent examination papers.'

  'Indeed! Which are they?' inquired Mr. Jones, who was wondering how hewas to broach the subject of the Scripture papers, and get at the bottomof Miss Briggs's tale without betraying her.

  'Scripture and algebra; the first did not surprise me so much, for sheis exceptionally well up in Scripture, and we cannot take any credit toourselves for the knowledge she has displayed in that subject; but shehas made wonderful progress in algebra; she is a very clever girl. Onehas the beauty, and the other the brains--not that Vava is notgood-looking, by the way,' said the head-mistress, correcting herself.

  'Nor is the beauty stupid, by any means, though she is so reserved thatit is difficult to get to know her or her abilities,' said Mr. Jones,who began to think that he had come on a fool's errand, and had betterhave trusted the head-mistress to manage her school without hisinterference. He was just getting up to say good-bye when there came aknock at the door, and Miss Briggs entered, looking very perturbed atsight of Montague Jones.

  'My letter was strictly private, Mr. Jones,' she said.

  'And so it has been treated, Miss Briggs,' replied Mr. Jones.

  'Miss Briggs, excuse me, but did you write to Mr. Jones upon the matterwe discussed yesterday?' inquired the head-mistress, looking very muchannoyed.

  Poor Miss Briggs looked very much ashamed of herself as she answered,'Yes.' She saw that she had betrayed herself, whereas Mr. Jones had notdone so.

  'Since you have told Miss Upjohn so much, I think you may allow me tosuggest that you should give us your grounds for suspecting my youngfriend Miss Wharton of dishonest practices, and let us try and convinceyou that you are mistaken,' observed Mr. Jones.

  'Oh I did not say they were dishonest,' she protested.

  'But I do,' he replied.

  Thus put into a corner, Miss Briggs had to go through the whol
e thingagain, and a very bad time she had of it. Mr. Jones had not been amagistrate for nothing. He questioned and cross-questioned and arguedtill he had proved even to Miss Briggs's satisfaction that the veryremarks she had overheard only proved Vava's innocence, as no girl inher senses would boast openly of knowing the questions beforehand if shehad looked at them secretly, far less impart one to a friend, and thatone a girl whom the girls had nicknamed 'Old Honesty.' At last MissUpjohn and her visitor had the satisfaction of having brought MissBriggs round to their opinion.

  'I see now that I was mistaken, and I am very sorry about it, and Iought not to have written to you,' she said frankly to Mr. Jones.

  'No, you ought not. Miss Upjohn is quite able to manage her own affairs;but I hope she will overlook your fault this time,' he replied withequal frankness; and then he got up and left the two ladies alone.

  Miss Briggs looked so ashamed of herself that Miss Upjohn was sorry forher; but what she said to her young assistant no one knew, for the storynever went any further.

  Vava never thought of her unpleasant experience with Miss Briggs afterthat day, except to feel that it had done good instead of harm, for theyoung mistress went out of her way to be pleasant to the girl she hadwrongfully accused, which Vava thought very nice of her, as it had neverbeen proved that she had not moved those papers. Perhaps she would nothave been so grateful to Miss Briggs if she had known that it had beenproved to have been some one else.

  The facts of the case were that another mistress had taken them bymistake, and in her hurry just put them back inside the door. MissUpjohn was very glad to have this explanation, not that she doubtedVava, but because she thought it would show Miss Briggs how easily onemay be suspicious without cause. And, if the truth be told, it was nottill she heard this that Miss Briggs did quite believe in Vava'sinnocence. So that it did teach her a lesson.

  Vava was called into the head-mistress's study that morning, and went inlooking very hot and indignant, but came out smiling, and said toDoreen, 'It's all right.'

  'What's all right?' demanded Doreen, staring.

  'Oh I forgot you know nothing about it. Well, it does not matter; it wasonly something that was bothering me, and it's all right now. MissUpjohn is a brick,' explained Vava.

  'I knew _that_ before, and I'm glad whatever was bothering you is allright; you all seem to have had the blues lately at your place. Mothersaid she supposed you found a house rather a bother as well as apleasure,' remarked Doreen.

  'Oh no, we don't! Mrs. Morrison takes all the worry off us; she's abrick too, a gold brick!' declared Vava with enthusiasm.

  'I never heard of a "gold brick,"' observed Doreen.

  'Well, she's one,' said Vava obstinately, and they both laughed.

  But Vava never told any one except her 'gold brick,' as she called 'oldnursie,' of the bad quarter of an hour which she had had with MissBriggs before school, when the latter had accused her of having seen thepapers, and told her to go and confess it to Miss Upjohn. 'But thatwasn't the worst, nursie; the worst was in Miss Upjohn's room,' declaredthe girl.

  'But I thought she had the sense to believe in you?' asked the oldwoman.

  'Oh yes, she was most awfully nice, and told me she had never doubted mefor a moment; it was Miss Briggs that made me feel so horrid anduncomfortable. Miss Upjohn told her she owed me an apology, and shelooked so miserable I felt as if I ought to apologise to her,' saidVava.

  'And why would you do that? No one has a right to take away yourcharacter, and if they try to do it, and find they are wrong, it is theywho should apologise. There's nothing so much worth in this world asone's character--never forget that, my bairn,' said the old nurse. 'Yousee how Mr. Jones and Miss Upjohn both believed in you, though I mustsay things did look black to a suspicious person; that was because theyknew your character, and that it was an honest character. If that sametale had been told about a girl who was not straightforward it mighthave been a different thing. Be thankful for your head-mistress's trustin you, and always act up to the principles you have been taught; itwill save you from many a pitfall or from the trouble a weak young ladylike Miss Eva brings upon herself.'

  'It doesn't seem to matter so much as long as I have you to get me outof it,' said Vava mischievously.

  'Indeed it does, for though I might get you off punishment I could neverundo what you had done,' said the old housekeeper.

  'But if I was sorry?' suggested Vava.

  'You would be forgiven, but it would never undo it, remember that,'repeated Mrs. Morrison.

  And Vava did remember it. At the moment she was thinking that Eva seemedto have got over her trouble, and to feel as if it were undone themoment the money was paid; but, as it happened, she was mistaken, andwhen she saw her come in night after night, looking tired out and blackunder the eyes, she began to understand that 'old nursie' was right, andthat one cannot undo a wrong deed. Moreover, though she never spoke ofit, Eva felt that she had lost her character for uprightness with herfriends, and she bitterly regretted her weakness. But if the girl hadbut known it, they respected her more now that she was working so hardto repay Mrs. Morrison than they had ever done before, and Vava was onlytoo glad to be with her in the short time she had free.

  As for the furniture man, the shrewd Scotchwoman managed him betterperhaps than a lawyer would have done, and she got back Eva's jewellery,which he had accepted in part payment at much less than their value; andher still final triumph was that she only paid the thirty pounds.

  'So I made him take five pounds off the bill, and then overpaid him tobe quit of him altogether, though it's a fine suite, after all,' saidMrs. Morrison when recounting her transaction with the not too reputabletradesman, who, for his part, was not sorry to have done with Mrs.Morrison, whose shrewd questions and business knowledge made him feelvery uncomfortable, as did some of her plain comments on his behaviour.