CHAPTER VIII
THE MAY KING
William was frankly bored. School always bored him. He disliked facts,and he disliked being tied down to detail, and he disliked answeringquestions. As a politician a great future would have lain before him.William attended a mixed school because his parents hoped thatfeminine influence might have a mellowing effect upon his character.As yet the mellowing was not apparent. He was roused from hisday-dreams by a change in the voice of Miss Dewhurst, his formmistress. It was evident that she was not talking about the exports ofEngland (a subject in which William took little interest) any longer.
"Children," she said brightly. "I want to have a little May Queen forthe first of May. The rest of you must be her courtiers. I want youall to vote to-morrow. Put down on a piece of paper the name of thelittle girl you think would make the sweetest little Queen, and therest of you shall be her swains and maidens."
"We're goin' to have a May Queen," remarked William to his family atdinner, "an' I'm goin' to be a swain."
His interest died down considerably when he discovered the meaning ofthe word swain.
"Isn't it no sort of animal at all?" he asked indignantly.
"Well, I'm not going to be in it, then," he said when he heard that itwas not.
The next morning Evangeline Fish began to canvass for votesmethodically. Evangeline Fish was very fair, and was dressed always inthat shade of blue that shrieks aloud to the heavens and puts theskies to shame. She was considered the beauty of the form.
"I'll give you two bull's eyes if you'll vote for me," she said toWilliam.
"_Two!_" said William with scorn.
"Six," she bargained.
"All right," he said, "you can give me six bull's eyes if you want.There's nothing to stop you givin' me six bull's eyes if you want, isthere? Not that I know of."
"But you'll have to promise to put down my name on the paper if I giveyou six bull's eyes," she said suspiciously.
"All right," said William. "I can easy promise that."
Whereupon she handed over the six bull's eyes. William returned one asbeing under regulation size, and waited frowning till she replaced itby a larger one.
"Now, you've promised," said Evangeline Fish. "They'll make you illan' die if you break your promise on them."
William kept his promise with true political address. He wrote "E.Fish--I _don't_ think!" on his voting paper and his vote wasdisqualified. But Evangeline Fish was elected May Queen by anoverwhelming majority. She was, after all, the beauty of the form andshe always wore blue. And now she was to be May Queen. Her prestigewas established for ever. "Little angel," murmured the elder girls.The small boys fought for her favours. William began to dislike herintensely. Her voice, and her smile, and her ringlets, and her bluedress began to jar upon his nerves. And when anything began to jar onWilliam's nerves something always happened.
It was not till about a week later that he noticed Bettine Franklin.Bettine was small and dark. There was nothing "angelic" about her.William had noticed her vaguely in school before and had hardly lookedupon her as a distinct personality. But one recreation in theplayground he stood leaning against the wall by himself, scowling atEvangeline Fish. She was surrounded by a crowd of admirers, and wasprattling to them artlessly in her angelic voice.
"I'm going to be dressed in white muslin with a blue sash. Blue suitsme, you know. I'm so fair." She tossed back a ringlet. "One of youwill have to hold my train and the rest must dance round me. I'mgoing to have a crown and--" She turned round in order to avoid thescowling gaze of William in the distance. William had discovered thathis scowl annoyed her, and since then had given it little rest. Butthere was no satisfaction in scowling at the back of her well-curledhead, so he relaxed his scowl and let his gaze wander round theplayground. And it fell upon Bettine. Bettine was also standing byherself and gazing at Evangeline Fish. But she was not scowling. Shewas looking at Evangeline Fish with wistful envy. For Evangeline Fishwas "angelic" and a May Queen, and she was neither of these things.William strolled over and lolled against the wall next to her.
"'Ullo!" he said, without looking at her, for this change of positionhad brought him again within range of Evangeline Fish's eye, and hewas once more simply one concentrated scowl.
"'Ullo," murmured Bettine shyly and politely.
"You like pink rock?" was William's next effort.
"Um," said Bettine, nodding emphatically.
"I'll give you some next time I buy some," said William munificently,"but I shan't be buying any for a long time," he added bitterly,"'cause an ole ball slipped out my hands on to our dining-room windowbefore I noticed it yesterday."
She nodded understandingly.
"I don't mind!" she said sweetly. "I'll like you jus' as much if youdon't ever give me any rock."
William blushed.
"I di'n't know you liked me," he said.
"I do," she said fervently. "I like your face an' I like the thingsyou say."
William had forgotten to scowl. He was one flaming mixture ofembarrassment and delight. He plunged his hands into his pockets andbrought out two marbles, a piece of clay, and a broken toy gun.
"You can have 'em all," he said in reckless generosity.
"You keep 'em for me," said Bettine sweetly.
"I hope you dance next me at the Maypole when Evangeline's Queen.Won't it be lovely?" and she sighed.
"Lovely?" exploded William. "Huh!"
"Won't you like it?" said Bettine wonderingly.
"_Me!_" exploded William again. "Dancin' round a pole! Round that olegirl?"
"But she's so pretty."
"No, she isn't," said William firmly, "she jus' isn't. Not _much_! Idon' like her narsy shiny hair an' I don' like her narsy blue clothes,an' I don' like her narsy face, an' I don' like her narsy white shoes,nor her narsy necklaces, nor her narsy squeaky voice----"
He paused.
Bettine drew a deep breath.
"Go on some more," she said. "I _like_ listening to you."
"Do _you_ like her?" said William.
"No. She's awful _greedy_. Did you know she was awful _greedy_?"
"I can _b'lieve_ it," said William. "I can b'lieve _anything_ ofanyone wot talks in that squeaky voice."
"Jus' watch her when she's eatin' cakes--she goes on eatin' and eatin'and eatin'."
"She'll bust an' die one day then," prophesied William solemnly, "an'_I_ shan't be sorry."
"But she'll look ever so beautiful when she's a May Queen."
"You'd look nicer," said William.
Bettine's small pale face flamed.
"Oh _no_," she said.
"Would you like to be a May Queen?"
"Oh, _yes_," she said.
"Um," said William, and returned to the discomfiture of EvangelineFish by his steady concentrated scowl.
The next day he had the opportunity of watching her eating cakes. Theymet at the birthday party of a mutual classmate, and Evangeline Fishtook her stand by the table and consumed cakes with a perseverance anddetermination worthy of a nobler cause. William accorded her a certaingrudging admiration. Not once did she falter or faint. Iced cakes,cream cakes, pastries melted away before her and never did she loseher ethereal angelic appearance. Tight golden ringlets, blue eyes,faintly flushed cheeks, vivid pale blue dress remained immaculate andunruffled, and still she ate cakes. William watched her in amazement,forgetting even to scowl at her. Her capacity for cakes exceeded evenWilliam's, and his was no mean one.
They had a rehearsal of the Maypole dance and crowning the next day.
WILLIAM ACCORDED HER A CERTAIN GRUDGING ADMIRATION.ICED CAKES, CREAM CAKES, PASTRIES MELTED AWAY BEFORE HER.]
"I want William Brown to hold the queen's train," said Miss Dewhurst.
"_Me?_" ejaculated William in horror. "D'you mean _me_?"
"Yes, dear. It's a great honour to be asked to hold little QueenEvangeline's train. I'm sure you feel very proud. You must be herlittle courtier."
"Huh!" said Wi
lliam, transferring his scowl to Miss Dewhurst.
Evangeline beamed. She wanted William's admiration. William was theonly boy in the form who was not her slave. She smiled at Williamsweetly.
"I'm not _good_ at holdin' trains," said William. "I don't _like_holdin' trains. I've never bin _taught_ 'bout holdin' trains. I mightdo it wrong on the day an' spoil it all. I shan't like to spoil itall," he added virtuously.
"Oh, we'll have heaps of practices," said Miss Dewhurst brightly.
As he was going Bettine pressed a small apple into his hand.
"A present for you," she murmured. "I saved it from my dinner."
He was touched.
"I'll give you somethin' to-morrow," he said, adding hastily, "if Ican find anythin'."
They stood in silence till he had finished his apple.
"I've left a lot on the core," he said in a tone of unusualpoliteness, handing it to her, "would you like to finish it?"
"No, thank you. William, you'll look so nice holding her train."
"I don't want to, an' I bet I _won't_! You don't _know_ the things Ican do," he said darkly.
"Oh, William!" she gasped in awe and admiration.
"I'd hold your train if you was goin' to be queen," he volunteered.
"I wouldn't want you to hold my train," she said earnestly."I'd--I'd--I'd want you to be May King with me."
"Yes. Why don't they have May Kings?" said William, stung by thisinsult to his sex.
"Why shouldn't there be a May King?"
"I speck they _do_, really, only p'raps Miss Dewhurst doesn't knowabut it."
"Well, it doesn't seem sense not having May Kings, does it? I wun'tmind bein' May King if you was May Queen."
* * * * *
The rehearsal was, on the whole, a failure.
"William Brown, don't hold the train so high. No, not quite so low.Don't stand so near the Queen, William Brown. No, not so faraway--you'll pull the train off. Walk when the Queen walks, WilliamBrown, don't stand still. Sing up, please, train bearer. No, not quiteso loud. That's deafening and not melodious."
In the end he was degraded from the position of train-bearer to thatof ordinary "swain." The "swains" were to be dressed in smocks and the"maidens" in print dresses, and the Maypole dance was to be performedround Evangeline Fish, who was to stand in queenly attire by the polein the middle. All the village was to be invited.
At the end of the rehearsal William came upon Bettine, once moregazing wistfully at Evangeline Fish, who was coquetting (with manytosses of the fair ringlets) before a crowd of admirers.
"Isn't it lovely for her to be May Queen?" said Bettine.
"She's a rotten one," said William. "I'm jolly glad _I've_ not to holdup her rotten ole train an' listen to her narsy squeaky voice singin'close to, an' I'll give you a present to-morrow."
He did. He found a centipede in the garden and pressed it into herhand on the way to school.
"They're jolly int'restin'," he said. "Put it in a match-box and makeholes for its breath and it'll live ever so long. It won't bite you ifyou hold it the right way."
And because she loved William she took it without even a shudder.
Evangeline Fish began to pursue William. She grudged him bitterly toBettine. She pirouetted near him in her sky-blue garments, she tossedher ringlets about him. She ogled him with her pale blue eyes.
And in the long school hours during which he dreamed at his desk, orplayed games with his friends, while highly-paid instructors pouredforth their wisdom for his benefit, William evolved a plan.Unfortunately, like most plans, it required capital, and William hadno capital. Occasionally William's elder brother Robert would supplya few shillings without inconvenient questions, but it happened thatRobert was ignoring William's existence at that time. For Robert had(not for the first time) discovered his Ideal, and the Ideal had beenasked to lunch the previous week. For days before Robert had madeWilliam's life miserable. He had objected to William's unbrushed hairand unmanicured hands, and untidy person, and noisy habits. He hadbitterly demanded what She would think on being asked to a house whereshe might meet such an individual as William; he had insisted thatWilliam should be taught habits of cleanliness and silence before Shecame; he had hinted darkly that a man who had William for a brotherwas hampered considerably in his love affairs because She would thinkit was a queer kind of family where anyone like William was allowed togrow up. He had reserved some of his fervour for the cook. She musthave a proper lunch--not stews and stuff they often had--there must bethree vegetables and there must be cheese straws. Cook must learn tomake better cheese straws. And William, having swallowed insults forthree whole days, planned vengeance. It was a vengeance which onlyWilliam could have planned or carried out. For only William could haveseized a moment just before lunch when the meal was dished up and cookhappened to be out of the kitchen to carry the principal dishes downto the coal cellar and conceal them beneath the best nuts.
It is well to draw a veil over the next half-hour. Both William andthe meal had vanished. Robert tore his hair and appealed vainly to theheavens. He hinted darkly at suicide. For what is cold tongue andcoffee to offer to an Ideal? The meal was discovered during theafternoon in its resting-place and given to William's mongrel, Jumble,who crept about during the next few days in agonies of indigestion.Robert had bitterly demanded of William why he went about the worldspoiling people's lives and ruining their happiness. He had impliedthat when William met with the One and Only Love of his Life he needlook for no help or assistance from him (Robert), because he (William)had dashed to the ground his (Robert's) cup of happiness, because he'dnever in his life met anyone before like Miss Laing, and never wouldagain, and he (William) had simply condemned him to a lonely andmiserable old age, because who'd want to marry anyone that asked themto lunch and then gave them coffee and cold tongue, and he'd neverwant to marry anyone else, because it was the One and Only Love of hisLife, and he hoped he (William) would realise, when he was old enoughto realise, what it meant to have your life spoilt and your happinessruined all through coffee and tongue, because someone you'd neverspeak to again had hidden the lunch. Whence it came that William,optimist though he was, felt that any appeal to Robert for funds wouldbe inopportune, to say the least of it.
But Providence was on William's side for once. An old uncle came totea and gave William five shillings.
"Going to dance at a Maypole, I hear?" he chuckled.
"P'raps," was all William said.
His family were relieved by his meekness with regard to the May Dayfestival. Sometimes William made such a foolish fuss about beingdressed up and performing in public.
"You know, dear," said his mother, "it's a dear old festival, andquite an honour to take part in it, and a smock is quite a nice manlygarment."
"Yes, Mother," said William.
The day was fine--a real May Day. The Maypole was fixed up in thefield near the school, and the little performers were to change in theschoolroom.
William went out with his brown paper parcel of stage properties underhis arm and stood gazing up the road by which Evangeline Fish mustcome to the school. For Evangeline Fish would have to pass his gate.Soon he saw her, her pale blue radiant in the sun.
"'Ullo!" he greeted her.
She simpered. She had won him at last.
"Waitin' to walk to the school with me, William?" she said.
He still loitered.
"You're awful early."
"Am I? I thought I was late. I meant to be late. I don't want to betoo early. I'm the most 'portant person, and I want to walk in afterthe others, then they'll all look at me."
She tossed her tightly-wrought curls.
"Come into our ole shed a minute," said William. "I've got a presentfor you."
She blushed and ogled.
"Oh, _William_!" she said, and followed him into the wood-shed.
"Look!" he said.
"HAVE A LOT," SAID WILLIAM. "THEY'RE ALL FOR YOU. GOON. EAT 'EM ALL. YO
U CAN EAT AN' EAT AN' EAT."]
His uncle's five shillings had been well expended. Rows of cakes layround the shed, pastries, and sugar cakes, and iced cakes, and currantcakes.
"Have a lot," said William. "They're all for you. Go on! Eat 'em all.You can eat an' eat an' eat. There's lots an' lots of time and theycan't begin without you, can they?"
"Oh, _William_!" she said.
She gloated over them.
"Oh, may I?"
"There's heaps of time," said William. "Go on! Eat them all!"
Her greedy little eyes seemed to stand out of her head.
"Oo!" she said in rapture.
She sat down on the floor and began to eat, lost to everything buticing and currants and pastry. William made for the door, then hepaused, gazed wistfully at the feast, stepped back, and, grabbing acream bun in each hand, crept quietly away.
Bettine in her print frock was at the door of the school.
"Hurry up!" she said anxiously. "You're going to be late. The othersare all out. They're waiting to begin. Miss Dewhurst's out there.They're all come but you an' the Queen. I stayed 'cause you asked meto stay to help you."
He came in and shut the door.
"You're goin' to be May Queen," he announced firmly.
"_Me?_" she said in amazement.
"Yes. An' I'm goin' to be King."
He unwrapped his parcel.
"Look!" he said.
He had ransacked his sister's bedroom. Once Ethel had been to a fancydress dance as a Fairy. Over Bettine's print frock he drew a crumpledgauze slip with wings, torn in several places. On her brow he placed atinsel crown at a rakish angle. And she quivered with happiness.
"Oh, how lovely!" she said. "How lovely! How lovely!"
His own preparations were simpler. He tied a red sash that he hadtaken off his sister's hat over his right shoulder and under his leftarm on the top of his smock. Someone had once given him a small 'busconductor's cap with a toy set of tickets and clippers. He placed thecap upon his head with its peak over one eye. It was the only officialheadgear he had been able to procure. Then he took a piece of burntcork from his parcel and solemnly drew a fierce and military moustacheupon his cheek and lip. To William no kind of theatricals was completewithout a corked moustache.
Then he took Bettine by the hand and led her out to the Maypole.
The dancers were all waiting holding the ribbons. The audience wasassembled and a murmur of conversation was rising from it. It ceasedabruptly as William and Bettine appeared. William's father, mother andsister were in the front row. Robert was not there. Robert haddeclined to come to anything in which that little wretch was toperform. He'd jolly well had enough of that little wretch to last hislifetime, thank you very much.
WILLIAM AND BETTINE STEPPED SOLEMNLY HAND IN HAND UPONTHE LITTLE PLATFORM WHICH HAD BEEN PROVIDED FOR THE MAY QUEEN.]
William and Bettine stepped solemnly hand in hand upon the littleplatform which had been provided for the May Queen.
Miss Dewhurst, who was chatting amicably to the parents till the lastof her small performers should appear, seemed suddenly turned tostone, with mouth gaping and eyes wide. The old fiddler, who wasrather short-sighted, struck up the strains, and the dancers began todance. The audience relaxed, leaning back in their chairs to enjoy thescene. Miss Dewhurst was still frozen. There were murmured comments."How curious to have that boy there! A sort of attendant, I suppose."
"Yes, perhaps he's something allegorical. A sort of pageant. Good Luckor something. It's not quite the sort of thing I expected, I mustadmit."
"What do you think of the Queen's dress? I always thought MissDewhurst had better taste. Rather tawdry, I call it."
"I think the moustache is a mistake. It gives quite a common look tothe whole thing. I wonder who he's meant to be? Pan, do you think?"uncertainly.
"Oh, no, nothing so _pagan_, I hope," said an elderly matron,horrified. "He's that Brown boy, you know. There always seems to besomething queer about anything he's in. I've noticed it often. But I_hope_ he's meant to be something more Christian than Pan, though onenever knows in these days," she added darkly.
William's sister had recognised her possessions, and was gasping inanger.
William's father, who knew William, was smiling sardonically.
William's mother was smiling proudly.
"You're always running down William," she said to the world ingeneral, "but look at him now. He's got a very important part, and hesaid nothing about it at home. I call it very nice and modest of him.And what a dear little girl."
Bettine, standing on the platform with William's hand holding hers andthe Maypole dancers dancing round her, was radiant with pride andhappiness.
* * * * *
And Evangeline Fish in the wood-shed was just beginning the lastcurrant cake.