CHAPTER IV.
UPS AND DOWNS.
There was nothing now to keep them at Lomore. Mr. Stacey's clerks hadmade an inventory of the contents of the house; David M'Taggart and Mrs.Morrison had packed their 'young leddies'' personal belongings, part inboxes to be taken to London, and part locked away in a room in the oldhome, of which David M'Taggart had the key, and into which, he solemnlyassured his late young mistresses, no one should enter but himself.
So all that remained for the two orphans to do was to say good-bye totheir friends, which they hurried over as much as possible, for partingsare painful in any case, and it was especially so in this one, and themost painful was the parting from 'nursie,' as they called Mrs.Morrison.
'And remember, my bairns, if you are ill or want me at any time, I'mhere and ready to come to you. I've a good bit laid by for a rainy day,and I've no need to work any more, thank the Lord, and don't mean towork for any but a Wharton, if he was as rich as Dives; so if ever youshould want a maid who needs no wages I'll be waiting for the call, andwill be with you as fast as the train will take me, for you're like myown bairns,' said the loyal old servant, who had spent forty of herfifty-five years of life in the service of the Laird of Lomore, as hadher father and grandfather before her, and was still as hale and heartyas a woman of thirty.
The two girls clung to her, but could not say a word, and Mr. MontagueJones, who had brought the car to the house to fetch them, turned hishead away and cleared his throat suspiciously, feeling, as he told hiswife afterwards, like a veritable robber who had stolen their home, andturned these two helpless and innocent girls adrift in the wide world,of which they knew nothing.
Mrs. Montague Jones did her best to be pleasant to her companion, whowas Stella, for Vava was sitting beside Mr. Jones and the chauffeur; butthough the girl was perfectly civil, and expressed her gratitude fortheir kindness, Stella was so reserved and unresponsive that it is to befeared that Mrs. Jones did not enjoy her return trip as much as she haddone the one northward to take possession of the coveted property, whichfoolish speculations had caused the late Laird to mortgage up to itsfull value.
Poor proud Stella, in her innocence it had not occurred to her that shewould be entertained at the best hotels on the way south; nor did sheknow that the journey was being made very leisurely, and, to tell thetruth, by rather indirect routes, so that their thoughts might bedistracted, and that they might be shown pretty scenery and interestingcathedrals and old towns. But there was no getting out of it now.
'Though if I had had any idea of the obligation we were puttingourselves under I would never have come, not even to prevent your beingtrain-sick, Vava,' she declared to her sister.
'Then it's a very good thing you did not know; we're having a glorioustime, and what is a few pounds to them? Nothing, as Mr. Montague Jonessays; he is enjoying these sights twice as much for seeing us enjoythem; though, for that matter, you don't look much as if you wereenjoying yourself, except when we are going over cathedrals, or lookingat some extra-special view, and then, though I say it as shouldn't, yourface is worth looking at,' affirmed Vava.
Stella laughed at the candid flattery, and took a hint from the equallycandid criticism, and tried to be more agreeable to her kind hostess,with the result that Mrs. Montague Jones was emboldened to ask her ifshe would not stay a few days with them in Belgrave Square until theyhad found rooms.
But Stella withdrew into her shell at once. 'Oh no, thank you; you arevery kind, but we have the address of some lodgings which Mrs. Monro,our minister's wife, knows, and they are expecting us.'
They were now at their last stage, and Stella handed Mrs. Monro's cardto Mr. Jones, and on it was written the address. He took it and read it,and said, 'Vincent Street, Westminster; that's not far from us. We shallhope to see you sometimes; it's a poky little street, and you'll be gladto get out of it, though even Belgrave Square will seem sooty andconfined after Lomore.'
It was not as tactful a speech as it might have been, and was receivedin such freezing silence by Stella that his wife did not dare to secondthe invitation, and the two girls were deposited at their new abodewithout any promise of meeting again, as far as Stella was concerned. Asfor Vava, she shook hands with Mr. Jones very warmly, and kissed Mrs.Jones; but neither did she say anything but good-bye, which, truth tosay, she said in such a cheerful tone as to surprise her sister.
But the cheeriness soon subsided at sight of their rooms, for which thelandlady, impressed by the grandeur of their arrival, hastened toapologise. 'And where all that luggage that arrived yesterday is to go Idon't know; I've no place for it here, miss; so I just told therailway-man to keep all but these two port-manteaus at theirstorerooms,' she added.
'Perhaps that was best,' said Stella quietly. And then, the woman havingtaken her departure, she sat down on the bed, a large double one, whichfilled up half the dingy room, and looked round the apartment and intothe tiny sitting-room with distaste.
'It's horrid, and--one thing's certain, I won't have that man staring atme!' cried Vava impulsively, jumping up, and mounting on a chair inorder to take down a large portrait of a stolid-faced policeman.
'Vava, come down and leave it alone! What can you be thinking of? Thatis the landlady's husband, no doubt. Mrs. Monro said he was a policeman,and so we should be safe with him. You will hurt her feelings!' criedStella.
'Then let her have him in her own bedroom. How can I sleep with himlooking as if he were going to take me to prison all the time?' saidVava. However, she did not take 'him' down, but came down herself; andas the Joneses had thoughtfully had a substantial tea before theydeposited their passengers, the girls decided that they would wantnothing that night but a glass of milk, and went out in the dusk to seewhat they could of London, and get out of their close and confinedlodgings.
'It went to my heart, Monty, to leave those two poor girls in thatdreadful place. This world's very unfair somehow,' said Mrs. Jones, asshe and her husband entered their own handsome house.
'And yet you were not too pleased at my offer about the furniture, andwanted to make me force them to sell it outright,' her husband remindedher.
'Oh well, business is business; but now that I know those two MissesWharton I feel glad the furniture is still theirs, though what goodit'll do them now or ever--unless some duke comes along and marries MissStella for her pretty face--I don't know.'
'The money I pay for hire will do them good'--Mr. Jones was paying fiftypounds a year--'and it needn't be a duke. I'd not mind her for adaughter myself.'
'Pray don't put such ideas into Jamie's head; not that she would not bea good wife, for she's a good girl, but she'd never look at a Jones. Andif that's your plan, I'm sorry she ever came to town, for it will onlyupset Jamie. I do hope he won't fall in love with her!' cried Jamie'smother in alarm.
'Who spoke of Jamie? The girl's up here to earn her living, and has noidea of love-making, thank goodness! As for Jamie, he's all right, andcan look after himself at his age, I should hope. I only meant that I'dlike as ornamental a wife for him when he reigns up there as I've got toface me,' said Mr. Montague Jones gallantly. Then in the bustle ofhome-coming and the joy of meeting the aforementioned Jamie, theWhartons were banished as subjects of conversation, although a littlelater their name cropped up in connection with their property and othermatters.
The Whartons themselves never mentioned their late hosts. London in thedusk, with its brilliant lights, its roar of traffic, and its hurryingcrowds, claimed their attention.
'Oh Stella, it's awful--just awful!' cried Vava, clinging to hersister's arm in alarm.
'See, there is a park in front of us; let us go in there; it will bequieter,' replied Stella, as she pressed Vava's arm and hurried her overthe crossing into Hyde Park, in which direction they had fortunatelystrayed.
Vava drew a great breath of relief as they began to cross the parkdiagonally. 'Thank goodness! I can breathe here, and needn't be lookingall the time to see where those horrid, screechy motors are co
ming to,tearing along as they do,' she said, quite forgetful of the fact thatshe herself had not many hours before been tearing along in one of thesesame 'horrid motors.'
It was January, and the air was cold, but the Highland girls did notmind that, and took such a long walk, turning and twisting in the park,so as to avoid the streets, that they were tired out when they reachedtheir lodgings. They slept soundly, and the next morning awoke with morecourage to face their new life. The first thing was to visit the Cityschool, and this they did together.
'I have heard of you, Miss Wharton,' said Miss Upjohn, thehead-mistress, 'and I hope I shall be able to persuade you to entrustyour sister to us.' She then proceeded to give her visitor a detailedaccount of the school, its staff, and its aims. 'Our term beginsto-morrow, and that,' she continued, pointing to a large card on thetable, 'is our motto for the week. We have a new one each week, and thisweek, as it is the beginning of the new year, we have taken "Truth andhonour." The school motto is "Love as brethren," and I shall make alittle speech upon it to-morrow morning after prayers.'
Stella listened in her dignified, reserved way, and it was only when shesmiled that the head-mistress understood Mr. Montague Jones'senthusiastic way of speaking of her.
Vava was more responsive. 'Oh Stella, this is a lovely school! Do let mecome here. And for our gymnastics we wear a red drill-dress--what fun!And what nice big rooms! I can breathe here!' she cried.
Stella smiled again. 'I don't know what to say; it seems so funny totake the first school one sees without looking about; but we have notime to spare. The only thing I am afraid of is, if you will excuse mysaying so, the companions she will find here; it is not a veryaristocratic part of London, and I should not like Vava to mix with thechildren I see in this street.'
Miss Upjohn smiled too. 'I understand your feelings; but I can assureyou that though there is a mixture here, as in all big schools--even thebest--our girls do not come from the streets; they come from very goodneighbourhoods. I do not think your sister will come to any harm bymixing with them, and I will myself take special care of her and let hersit at lunch with one of our teachers, who dine here in the middle ofthe day.'
Miss Wharton did not know that she owed this concession to Mr. Jones'srepresentations; she did not even know that it was a concession, for shehad been used to a good deal of attention both from her position and herbeauty; but she knew that Miss Upjohn was being very kind and friendly,and she felt sure her sister would be safe with such a high-principledwoman. So before they left the big, ugly red-brick building, which Mr.Jones had truly called palatial, it was decided that Vava should gothere the next day and be duly enrolled as a day-scholar at the CitySchool for Girls.
'And now that all that is comfortably settled, let us go and see theTower; it is in the City, so it must be near,' observed Vava.
But she was mistaken; it was not near. However, as they were walkingalong--for they were too unused to cities to think it necessary to goeverywhere in buses and trams--Stella gave a little exclamation ofsurprise.
'What is it, Stella? What frightened you?' inquired Vava, looking up ather sister.
'I am not frightened, only surprised. There is the office that I shallgo to every day, quite close to your school, so that I can see you toyour door before I go there. I am so glad,' explained Stella.
'So am I glad, Stella. Now I sha'n't feel lonely, for I don't mindtelling you that I felt just a wee bit frightened at the thought ofbeing away from you among strangers, and no one I knew anywhere near;and here you will be quite near me, so that I can run in and see youwhenever I want!' exclaimed the girl.
'Oh but you must not do that; you must not run about the streets alone!London is not Lomore, you know; besides, you will have no time to payvisits in school-hours, nor shall I have time to receive them. You mustremember I am only a paid servant to these people,' said Stella, withproud humility. She then continued, 'I cannot receive visitors as if itwere my own house, though, of course, if anything were really the matterMiss Upjohn could send for me. It is nice for us both to know we areonly a few minutes' walk from each other.'
Not for many a day did Stella and Vava Wharton know to whose kindinterest they owed this fact, nor to whom they were indebted for many aprivilege, both in the former's office and the latter's school; thoughit was to one and the same person. At any rate, this knowledge of theirnearness to each other made their first day in London a happier one thanit would otherwise have been.
The Tower proved as fascinating as it always does to girls who lovehistory when they see the fortress for the first time, and the sistersspent a long time in it and its surroundings, and went back to VincentStreet resigned to, if not content with, their lot, the worst part ofwhich was their lodgings. Stella felt that the house could never be inthe least a home to them, and was not situated in a nice part for themto live in, though she did not see what she could do better, with theirlimited means and knowledge of London.