The Little School-Mothers

you to choose Harriet to livewith me when you is going to South Africa. I don't want Robina: I likeher next best to Harriet, but I don't like her as well."

  "Now this is a very serious matter, Ralph," said his father, changinghis tone and becoming wide awake and alert at the moment, and taking hislittle boy's hand. "You know, my dear son, that I shall be absent fromhome for several months."

  "I know," said Ralph.

  "You will have Mrs Temple to look after you."

  "I know," said Ralph again.

  "And being a manly boy, you won't fret."

  "'Course not," said Ralph. Whatever feeling there was in his heart, hewould not let it come to the surface. "I is your own boy," he said,after a pause. "You didn't fret ever, did you?"

  "Not to show it," replied Mr Durrant, after a minute's pause.

  "Sank 'oo," said Ralph. "I understand," he repeated.

  "Well, my dear boy, that part is all right: but now, to be frank withyou: I prefer Robina."

  "And I like Harriet," said Ralph.

  "Do you think, Ralph, that a little boy so young as you are is the bestjudge of who ought really to be his companion?"

  "I don't understand," said Ralph then. "I like Harriet best, 'causeshe's so--"

  "Ah, yes?" said Mr Durrant, in an encouraging voice. "Give me yourreasons, my son; I shall listen with the greatest possible attention."

  "'Cause she is so splendid--and--and brave," said Ralph, "and--and--noble--"

  "Is she?" said Mr Durrant. "Can you prove that?"

  "Does you want me to prove it, father?"

  "Yes," said Mr Durrant then. "If Harriet is really the bravest girl ofall your school-mothers, and the noblest, then--she shall stay with youas your school-mother. But it has got to be proved to me."

  "And if I can prove it," said Ralph, "you will really, really let herstay with me as my very own school-mother?"

  "Yes, Ralph."

  "Sankoo so much," said Ralph. His little face looked very much excitedand the colour flushed into his cheeks.

  "Now then, that is settled," said Mr Durrant. "You have got to provethe thing, and I have got to see that I believe all about it. We won'tworry any more for the present, for the decision is not to be come tountil we return to Sunshine Lodge. Go back to your own berth, Ralph.Turn round and have another hour's sleep, for it is too early for anyoneto be up." Ralph, quite satisfied with what he had done, immediatelyobeyed his father. He was just like a little sailor, and instantobedience was his watch-word. But while a small brown boy slept, thebig brown man lay awake, consumed with anxious thought.

  "I wish I had never given my sanction to this plan; there is somethingbehind the scenes. Harriet brave; Harriet noble? I never yet wasmistaken in a face," was his thought. "Well, little Ralph, you have toprove it to my satisfaction, that is one comfort." That day the littleparty landed at Lymington and went for a time into the New Forest underthe shade of the "Immemorial Elms." Ralph and Harriet had time to bealone for a short period. It was rather difficult now for the boy andthe girl to be unobserved on these occasions. It seemed to Harriet thatthe eyes of all the school-mothers watched them, that Robina, inparticular, followed them about with those grey eyes of hers.

  Robina was true to her word. She tried to enjoy herself and was greatfriends with all her companions with the exception of Jane, whom sheleft to Harriet entirely, and with the exception of Ralph, whom, from amotive which she could not define, she left more or less to himself.This very fact distressed Mr Durrant not a little. Now, Robina and theAmberley girls were all walking under the trees, chatting and talking,and Harriet and Ralph found themselves alone.

  "I has done it," said Ralph. "I spoke to father and telled him that Iwished him to choose you."

  "Oh, you did, did you?" said Harriet. She pulled Ralph's little handthrough her arm. "You will never be sorry for that, I can tell you,Ralph. I mean to give you a beautiful time when I am yourschool-mother."

  "Oh, yes," said Ralph; "but 'tisn't 'cause of the beautiful time thatyou're to be my school-mother, is it, Harriet?"

  Harriet looked puzzled.

  "I mean," said Ralph, "that I is going to be a big boy. Next birthdayI'll be six, then seven, then eight--I'll be growed up in no time. Whena person is growed up, then a person hasn't to think only just of nicethings. I telled father that I wanted you to be my school-mother, tostay with me all the time, 'cause you're so brave and so noble."

  "You told him that?" said Harriet, with a short laugh: "nothing more, Ihope?"

  "No, nothing more, 'cause you wouldn't let me. But, Harriet," he said,"father did--"

  "What, dear?"

  "That I had got to prove to him that you was brave, and was noble--helikes people who are that; and his eyes flashed. Don't you likefather's eyes when they grow all of a sudden so very bright? Well, theygrowed like that when I said you was brave, and noble; only he said youmust prove it."

  "Oh! you did put your foot into things," said Harriet. "How on earth amI to prove it."

  "Why, do something brave and noble," said Ralph. "I thought I'd tellyou, 'cause father said he must know his own self, and then he'lldecide. He is going to decide as soon as ever we get back to SunshineLodge--oh! and there he is calling me! Now I must run to him. Coming,father, coming--this instant-minute!" and Ralph lost his hold ofHarriet's hand and flew off to meet his parent.

  "Does you want me to swarm up to the top of that tall tree, father? Ican, you know: I isn't a bit frighted," said Ralph.

  Mr Durrant stood and smiled.

  "You mustn't go too far," he said, "I don't want you to fall and hurtyourself."

  "No," said Ralph, "that wouldn't be right, would it? Special 'causethere's no water underneath. If I was to run up this tree, and runalong that bough that bends over so, and it cracked, same as willowbough cracked, I--"

  Then he stopped and turned very red. Durrant was standing very uprightand apparently not listening. Ralph felt a choking sensation in histhroat. How very nearly he had betrayed himself!

  "Was you listening, father?" he said, after a pause; and he came up andpulled the brown man by the sleeve.

  "To what, my boy?"

  "To a sort of nonsense I was talking."

  Instantly Mr Durrant's face grew very stern.

  "You were not talking nonsense, Ralph," he said. "You were tellingsomething that happened: but I don't want to hear the rest. What I haveheard doesn't matter, for a half story is no story all: but it is notexactly true to call what really happened nonsense, and I don't likethose words from the lips of my little son. Now go up your tree; climbalong any branch you like: I am below watching you."

  "Yes, yes," said the boy, the weight of the words he had inadvertentlyused slipping from his mind. "Father's below, waiting for me," herepeated.

  He climbed the tall elm tree, springing from branch to branch with thealertness of a little squirrel, and presently came down again, radiantand triumphant.

  "Pluckily done, Ralph!" said his father, and he took the boy's hand andcontinued to walk with him through the Forest.

  "Father," said Ralph, after a pause, "I have been telling Harriet thatyou must have it proved that she is both brave and noble."

  "That is right, my boy. Now let us talk of something else. There'll bea bit of a breeze to-night: we must run the `Sea-Gull' into YarmouthHarbour. We must run in before long in order that we may be snug and inport before we have any dirty weather." If there was one girl who wasnot perfectly happy during this week of sunshine, it was Jane Bush.Poor Jane was completely under Harriet's influence. If Harriet waspoor, Jane was a little poorer. Mrs Burton was one of those goodChristian women who took girls, whose parents were poor, on specialterms; both Harriet and Jane were girls of this sort. She had long agomade up her mind that those girls who could not afford to pay for a goodeducation should nevertheless, if there was a vacancy at Abbeyfield,receive all the advantages of the best education she could offer.

  Harriet was the dau
ghter of an old friend, and Jane Bush was the childof a man who had once done her a service. Both these girls werereceived at Abbeyfield on very special terms, and Jane, in particular,was at the school almost free of any expense. Mrs Burton was notespecially fond of Jane, but she remembered the time when Jane's fatherhad been kind to her in her need, and she