talking. WhenClaudia went in she found Lady Mildred on the point of sending out tosee if she had taken refuge at the lodge from the snow.
"I should have felt very unhappy about that poor boy if he had had anyfurther to go than the `Thrashers,'" thought Claudia to herself morethan once as the afternoon drew on into evening, and the snow fell sofast that one could not tell when the daylight really faded.
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
SENT BY THE SNOW.
Claudia and her aunt were sitting quietly that same evening in the smalldrawing-room which Lady Mildred always used in the winter, and Claudiawas thinking over her strange meeting with "the little Waldron boy," asshe called him to herself (for she did not even know his Christianname), and hoping he had got safe home, when her aunt looked upsuddenly.
"How should you like to spend Christmas in London, Claudia? Would itseem very dreary to you?" she said.
"Oh no, Aunt Mildred, not if you wished it," Claudia replied.
"I suppose the truth is, all places would seem much the same to you solong as they were not Britton-Garnett," Lady Mildred observed, with atouch of acrimony in her tone. But Claudia understood her better now.She only smiled.
"I should not like to be there this Christmas, Aunt Mildred, if you wereto be here alone. It would be awfully nice to be all together, ofcourse, but it would be nicest if you were with us too."
Lady Mildred sighed.
"I am afraid merry Christmasses are quite over for me. It is very dullhere; it seems a sort of mockery for a poor old woman like me to be thecentre of things, giving tenants' dinners and school-feasts, and all therest of it. I have not the heart for any up-stairs festivities," andshe sighed again. "After all, I dare say it would be less dreary inLondon. What has put it into my head is a letter from the lawyerssaying that they may be wanting to see me on business."
"Would you be going soon?" asked Claudia.
"I don't know. It would not matter if you lost a week or two atschool--you have been working hard lately."
"No," said Claudia, "it would not matter." And the thought passedthrough her mind that if her aunt carried out this plan, it would removeall difficulties in the way of her not trying for the prize.
"No one would ever know that I meant to give it up at any rate," shethought with a slight, a very slight touch of bitterness.
But at that moment the front door-bell rang violently. Both the ladiesstarted.
"What can that be?" said Lady Mildred. "Not a telegram surely. MrMiller would never think of sending a telegram on a Saturday evening,whatever the business may be that he wants to see me about."
"Shall I run and see what it is," said Claudia. For though there was asound of voices and footsteps dimly in the distance, no servant appearedto explain matters.
"Yes, go," Lady Mildred was saying, when the door opened and Ball,followed by a footman, appeared.
"If you please, my lady," the butler began, "it's Rush from the lodge.He begs pardon for ringing so loud at the front, but he thought it wouldbe quicker. They've found a child, if you please, my lady, a boy, deadin the snow down the road. A farm-lad passing--the snow's not so heavynow--found him and ran for Rush. But Mrs Rush is that frightened she'slost her head, and their baby's ill. So Rush thought he'd best come onhere."
A smothered cry broke from Claudia.
"Charlotte's poor little brother," she said.
But no one noticed her words. Lady Mildred had already started to herfeet.
"Dead, do you say, Ball?" she exclaimed. "How do you know he is dead?He may be only unconscious."
"That's just it," said Ball.
"Then don't stand there like a couple of fools. You're as bad as thatsilly Mrs Rush. Bring the poor child in at once--to the servants' hallor the kitchen, or wherever there's a good fire; I will come myself assoon as the front door is shut, I feel the cold even here," and the oldlady began to cough. "Claudia--" turning round, but Claudia was offalready.
She met the little group in the front hall. There were Rush and anotherman carrying something between them, and several other persons seemedstanding about or emerging from different doorways, for even the best ofservants dearly love a sensation. Claudia for one instant turned hereyes away--she dreaded to recognise the thin little face, whose blueeyes had sought hers so appealingly but an hour or two ago. Then shechid herself for her weakness.
"Carry him at once into the kitchen," she said. "Her ladyship wishesit."
Her voice sounded authoritative, and was immediately obeyed. Someblankets appeared from somewhere in a mysterious manner, and in anotherminute the small figure was deposited upon them before the friendly glowof the fire, and Claudia knelt down to examine the child more closely.Her eyes filled with tears as she saw that it was indeed "the littleWaldron boy." But even at that moment she had presence of mind enoughto respect his secret.
"I don't know what is best to do," she said appealingly. "He is not acountry boy--do you see, he is a gentleman?" she added, as Ball's wife,the housekeeper, hurried forward. "But surely, oh, surely he is notdead!"
He looked sufficiently like death to make every one hesitate to answer.He had seemed pale and delicate that afternoon, but in comparison withthe ghastly colourlessness now, Claudia could have described him as_then_ florid and rosy! His eyes were closed, his arm dropped looselywhen Claudia lifted it, his breath, if indeed it were there, wasinaudible.
"Let me get to him, missy, please," said the housekeeper, "and all ofyou gaping there, just get you gone. Here's my lady herself--she'llsend you to the right-about. Ball, heat some water, and mix a drop ortwo of brandy. Then we'll undress him and get him to bed. The chintzroom's always aired. Martha, light the fire at once and put somehot-water bottles in the bed. Dead! no, no. Let my lady see him."
The room was soon cleared of all but two or three. Then they undressedthe boy, whose frozen, snow-covered clothes were now dripping wet, androlled him in the blankets. And in a few minutes, thanks to the warmth,and the chafing and friction which Mrs Ball kept up, the first faintsigns of returning life began to appear, and they got him to swallow aspoonful of brandy and water.
"Feel in his pockets, Claudia," said Lady Mildred, "and see if there isany letter or paper to show who he is. His people must be in cruelanxiety."
Claudia did so, feeling herself a sort of hypocrite for not at oncetelling all she knew. To her great relief she came upon apocket-handkerchief marked "Waldron," and a neat little memorandum-book,for poor Jerry was the most methodical of boys, with "Gervais Waldron,19, Norfolk Terrace, Wortherham" on the first page.
"Aunt Mildred," she said quietly, "it is one of the Waldrons--thelawyer's children, you know. His sister is at school with me."
Lady Mildred started, and made some little exclamation under her breathwhich Claudia did not catch.
"He is coming round nicely, my lady," said Mrs Ball. "The doctor willthink he need not have been fetched," for a groom had already been sentto a village much nearer than Wortherham, where a doctor was to befound.
"It is better to let him see the boy," said Lady Mildred. "He lookssuch a delicate child," she added, speaking in a low voice, for Jerrywas now opening his eyes, and showing signs of coming to life in everysense of the word.
"Shall we send to let his people know that he is safe?" said Claudia.
"I suppose so," said Lady Mildred. "Tell Ball to send the groom on toWortherham as soon as he comes back from Crowby. And--"
"Would it do for me to write a note? I could write it to the sister Iknow?" asked Claudia.
Lady Mildred hesitated.
"Yes," she replied; "I dare say you might."
"And, my lady," said Mrs Ball, "I'll have the young gentleman carriedup-stairs and put to bed. It will be just as well for him to findhimself there when he quite wakes up, as it were."
Lady Mildred stooped again and looked at the boy closely. His eyes wereclosed. She saw nothing that struck her in the little thin pale face,for it was the blue eyes that were
its one beauty--the _very_ blue eyescharacteristic of the Osberts.
"Very well. Come to the drawing-room, Claudia, and write the note. Ishould think the groom will be back directly. I will see the childagain after the doctor has been."
"Aunt Mildred _is_ really kind," thought Claudia. But she had toexercise considerable self-control during the writing of the note._She_ would have made it friendly and hearty in tone, but this did notsuit Lady Mildred's ideas at all, and it was a rather stiff and formalproduction when finished, ending with a half-permission, half-invitationto the