of the day. In short, we were contented.
We had not been a fortnight at the school Bella Vista before we began tofeel that we had always lived there. Were we not part and parcel of thehouse? Were not its interests ours, the girls who lived there ourfriends, and the life we lived the only one worth living? We did notacknowledge to ourselves that we felt like this, but nevertheless wedid.
As to Augusta--well, for the first few days she was as grumpy andunsociable as girl could be. Then there came a change over her, and Iknew quite well what had caused it. The post was delivered in theevening, and there was a letter addressed to Augusta. She took it uplanguidly. She seemed to feel no interest whatever in anything. Iwatched her without daring to appear to do so. We were in our ownlittle sitting-room at that time, and Rosalind Mayhew was having supperwith us. This treat was always allowed on Saturday evenings. The girlscould ask one another to have supper, only giving directions downstairswith regard to the transference of the food to the different rooms.Rosalind was our guest on this occasion.
Augusta laid her letter by her plate; she put one hand on the table, andpresently took up the letter and glanced at it again. I did not dare tosay, "Won't you read it?" for had I done so that would have provoked herinto putting it into her pocket, and not glancing at it perhaps untilthe following morning, or goodness knows when. So, glancing atHermione, I proposed that those who had finished supper should go andstand on the balcony for a little. We all went except Augusta, whoremained behind. I kept one ear listening while I chatted with mycompanions. It seemed to me that I certainly _did_ hear the rustle ofpaper--the sort of rustle that somewhat stiff paper would make when itis taken out of its envelope. Then there was utter stillness, andafterwards a wild rush and a door slammed. I looked into thesitting-room. It was empty.
"She has read it, has she not?" said Hermione.
"Oh, hush, hush!" I whispered. "Don't say a word."
"Are you talking about that queer, half-mad girl?" said Rosalind.
"Oh, I'm sure she will be all right in the future," I said.
Rosalind changed the conversation to something else.
"By the way, Dumps, Comtesse Riki has taken a most violent fancy toyou."
"What! to me?" I asked.
"Yes; and the Baroness Elfreda to Hermione."
Now, Comtesse Riki was a very delicately made, exquisitely pretty girl,of the fairest German type. Elfreda, on the contrary, was short andexceedingly fat, with a perfectly square face, high cheek-bones, and aquantity of hay-coloured hair which she wore in two very tight plaitsstrained back from her face.
Hermione shrugged her shoulders.
"They're both awfully nice; don't you think so?" said Rosalind.
"I have scarcely given them a thought," I answered.
My mind was still dwelling on the letter which Augusta had received.Presently Rosalind left us, and Hermione and I wondered what the resultwould be.
"Go to her door and knock, and see if she will come out and tell us;won't you, Dumps?" said Hermione.
I did go and knock.
"Yes, dear?" said Augusta's voice. It was quite bright and absolutelychanged.
"Aren't you coming out to stand on the balcony a little, and to chat?Do come, please."
"Not to-night, dear; I am very busy."
Still that new, wonderful, exceedingly cheerful voice.
"The spell has worked," I said to Hermione when I returned to her.
We neither of us saw Augusta again until the next morning, and thenthere was a marvellous change in her. She did not tell us what hadcaused it. To begin with, she was neatly dressed; to follow, she ate anexcellent breakfast; and again, wonder of wonders! she applied herselfwith extreme and passionate diligence to her French and German lessons.She looked up when her mistress spoke; she no longer indulged in silencebroken only by rhapsodies of passionate snatches of verse from herfavourite authors. She was altogether a changed Augusta. I did not saya word to her on the subject, and I cautioned Hermione not to breathewhat I had done.
"If she thinks father has written to her on his own account the spellwill work, and she will be saved," I said.
It was not until a fortnight later that Augusta said to me in a verygentle tone, "I see daylight. How very naughty I was when I first came!How badly I did behave! But now a guiding hand has been stretched out,and I know what I am expected to do."
I jumped up and kissed her.
"I am glad," I said.
"You cannot be as glad as I am," she answered; and she took both myhands in one of hers and looked into my face, while tears rose to herbright, rather sunken eyes. "To think that _he_ should take the troubleto write!"
I ran away. I did not want to be unkind, and truly did not mean to; butAugusta's manner, notwithstanding the reform in her character, wasalmost past bearing.
"Poor, dear old father!" I said afterwards to Hermione, "he can littlerealise what a fearful responsibility he has in life--the whole ofAugusta's future--and just because he is a clever lecturer. I reallycannot understand it."
"Nor I," said Hermione. "I myself think his speeches are rather dull;but I suppose I have a different order of mind."
I remember quite well that on that occasion we girls were permitted togo for a delightful walk into the Bois de Boulogne. We went, of course,with some of the governesses; but when we got there we were allowed acertain amount of freedom--for instance, we could choose our owncompanions and walk with whom we pleased. We were just leaving thehouse on this occasion when Comtesse Riki came up to me and asked if Iwould walk with her. I acceded at once, although I had hoped for a longwalk with Hermione, as I had received a budget of home news on that day,and I wanted to talk it over with her; last, but not least, there hadcome a voluminous letter from Lilian St Leger. It was a littleprovoking, but Riki's very pretty blue eyes, her pathetic mouth, andsweet smile conquered. At the same instant Baroness Elfreda flew up toHermione and tucked her podgy hand inside the girl's arm.
"I couldn't walk with you, Dumps," she said, "for a dumpy girl couldn'twalk with another dumpy girl--so I want to be your friend, a sweet,slight, graceful English girl."
Hermione consented with what patience she could, and we started off onour walk. While we were in the town we had, of course, to walk two bytwo; but presently, in a special and rather retired part of the gardens,the governesses were less particular, and each couple was allowed tokeep a little away from the other.
"Now, that's a comfort," said Riki. "I have so much I want to ask you."
"What about?" I said.
"About your so delightful English ways. You have much of the freedom,have you not?"
"I don't know," I replied.
"Oh, but you must! Think now; no girl here, nor in my country, nor inany other, I think, on the Continent, would be allowed to go aboutunattended--not at least before her marriage."
"But," I answered, "we don't think about getting married at all inEngland--I mean girls of my age."
"If you don't think it impertinent, would you tell me what your age maybe?"
I said I should be sixteen in May.
"But surely you will think of your marriage within about a year or two,will you not?"
I laughed.
"What are you talking about?" I said. "Really, Comtesse, I cannotunderstand you."
"Fray don't call me that; call me Riki. I like you so very much; youare different from others."
"Every one tells me that," I answered, a little bitterness in my tone.
"You have the goodness within--you perhaps have not the beauty without;but what does that matter when goodness within is more valuable? It isbut to look at you to know that you have got that."
"If you were really to see into my heart, Riki, you would perceive thatI am an exceedingly selfish and very ungrateful girl."
"Oh dear!" said the Comtesse Riki, "what is it to be what you callungrateful?"
"Not to be thankful for the blessings that are given you," I madeanswer.
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She glanced at me in a puzzled way.
"Some day, perhaps," I said, "you will visit our England and see foryourself what the life is like."
"I should like it," she replied--"that is, after my nuptials."
"But you are only a child yourself."
"Not a child--I am sixteen; I shall be seventeen in a year; then I shallleave school and go home, and--and--"
"Begin your fun," I said.
"Oh no," she answered--"not exactly. I may go to a few of the dancesand take a _tour_ [dance] with the young men--I should, of course, havemany partners; but what is that? Then I shall become affianced, and