Harriet--Ichoose you."
"Nevertheless," said Patience, in a very steadfast voice, "it isabsolutely necessary before Mr Durrant confirms your choice, Ralph,that he should hear something Jane Bush has to say. The fact is this,sir," continued Patience. "Frederica and I and the three Amberleys havenot felt at all satisfied for some weeks past at the conduct of HarrietLane and Robina Starling. We have felt quite absolutely sure, sir, thatthere was something going on behind the scenes. We were more certainthan ever of that when Robina, who loves Ralph so truly, gave up thecontest with Harriet last evening."
"Oh," said Mr Durrant; "she told you last evening, did she?"
"She did, sir," said Patience. "She came to us when we were walking inthe grounds, and told us what her decision was. Afterwards she went andtold Harriet."
"Oh!" said Mr Durrant. He looked at Harriet, whose face was verywhite, except where patches of angry colour starred each cheek. "Ithought we had done with Robina," he said, "but still--"
"No, we haven't done with her," said Patience; "that is just the point.Now Jane, tell what you have got to tell, and don't be frightened."
"It was my fault from the beginning," began Jane. "Come, speak out,Jane," said Patience, "and don't sob any more."
"You had better not say anything," interrupted Harriet. "How dare youtalk and force yourself on Mr Durrant's notice? you horrid littlesneak!"
"Those are not at all pretty words, Harriet," said Mr Durrant; "andthey absolutely force me to listen to whatever Jane Bush may have tosay. What is it, Jane? Speak."
"Well, sir; it was this," said Jane. "It was this. Harriet didn'texpect any telegram to be waiting for her on board the `Sea-Gull.'"
"What?" said Mr Durrant.
"No, sir: but she told me to go to you and to tell you that there mightbe one; and it was I that thought of it, sir. I thought of a plan forHarriet to prove to you and to all the world that she was very brave andcould save Ralph's life. She asked me if I could think of a plan, and Ithought of that. And you told me to tell the girls not to bathe; and Ionly told Harriet, and she would not tell the others; she wanted toprove to you, sir, that she was brave and could save Ralph's life, and--and--I could not bear it any longer, and--and--I went back to the yacht;and oh--oh--she was to give me five pounds, and I don't want it now--andI am the most awfully miserable girl in all the wide world!"
This story, which came from Jane with bursts of tears and unutterablesobs, at first sounded like mere confusion; but Mr Durrant, who had gota very orderly--indeed, almost lawyer-like mind,--soon put the brokenand jagged edges of this queer narrative together; and by slow degreesand careful investigation, the whole naked truth came out. And as isthe way with such truths, a great deal more came out than Jane had atfirst intended to reveal; for the whole incident of the pond, and thewillow tree, and Ralph's fall into the pond, and Harriet's apparentlynoble conduct in trying to save him, came also to the fore; and the factthat poor Robina had overheard some of Harriet's and Jane's plottingsand plannings was also brought to the light of day; so that a very, veryugly story was revealed to the astonished ears of the good man whothought that he was providing so very well for his little son.
Quite early, however, in the narrative, he did a somewhat queer thing.He took Ralph by the hand, and led him to the door.
"You need not listen to any more of this," he said. "You will findRobina somewhere in the house; go to her."
The amazed little boy found himself in the hall, shut away from all theschool-mothers--from Harriet, who looked so terrible, and who had donesuch queer things that he certainly could not love her any longer; fromJane Bush, who seemed nearly as bad, and yet whom he, in his childishand affectionate way, pitied; and from Patience and the others, who werequite nice, but who had only, somehow or other, seen the outside of hisheart. But there was Robina, and she had not gone. He would find her.
He went slowly up the wide stairs, and when he found himself on thefirst landing, he looked round him. There one of the housemaids sawhim. Of course she loved him: every woman in the house loved Ralph.
"What is it, little master?" she said, wondering at his pale cheeks andat the anxious expression in his eyes.
"I want Robina," he said.
"She is shut up in her own room, little master."
Off trotted Ralph, and knocked at the door.
"Robina, Robin; let me in!" he said.
There was silence at first in answer to his imperative summons. Thenthere came a broken-down voice from within.
"I can't, Ralph: go away, please."
"But why won't you? I must get in," said Ralph.
Robina now made no answer of any sort, and Ralph, after waiting outsidethe door for a few minutes, very disconsolately retreated and went intothe garden.
Now the whole of the side of the house where Robina's room was situatedwas covered with an old magnolia tree, and this magnolia had a verythick trunk--quite thick enough and firm enough to hold the weight of alittle boy, and as Ralph had no fear, and was an excellent climber--infact, this small person could climb like a monkey--he soon scaled themagnolia, and appeared outside Robina's window; and as the windowhappened to be wide open--for she certainly did not expect a visitor bythat entrance--a little brown boy with brown eyes looked in at her fromthe enclosure made by the magnolia, and the next minute, he was insidethe room, and pressed to Robina's heart.
"I love you much--much best of all!" he said; "and father has sent me toyou, and--and--I don't, know anything--but there's an awful fussdownstairs, and Jane Bush is crying, and Harriet is looking awfullyangry--and--I don't understand half nor quarter what it's all about.But I love you best; and I choose you; for I know that I can be goodwith you--and oh! love me, love me a little, for I love you so much?"
Book 2--CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
VIRTUE REWARDED.
When Mr Durrant had at last got quite clearly at the truth of things,and when Harriet, brought to bay, at first struggled to deny, but atlast was forced to confess the truth of Jane's statements, his mannerbecame very decided and summary.
"Jane," he said; "I have nothing to do with you except to thank you. Ileave you your own conscience to punish you for what you did. You wereguilty of the great sin of moral weakness. You yielded to the wishes ofa companion who was stronger than yourself: but at the eleventh hour youhave saved the situation for me, and whoever else punishes you, JaneBush, I am not the one. I believe, too, in the law of kindness, and Ifully believe in that everlasting law of God's forgiveness. I trust,Jane, that this will prove a lesson to you, and that you will turn overa new leaf; and if, in the future, I can help you, I will: and I knowyour kind school-fellows will not forsake you. Patience Chetwold, mydear, you have earned my undying gratitude. By your promptness anddecision and cleverness and bravery you have saved my dear little sonfrom the greatest catastrophe which could ever have occurred to him.Now, as to you, Harriet Lane--but I would rather speak to you not in thepresence of your companions."
At these words, all the other school-mothers went out of the room, Janestill completely surrounded by a phalanx of her companions. When thedoor was shut behind them and Mr Durrant and Harriet were alone, heturned to her.
"Some day, you will understand what you have done," he said.
"I understand now," said Harriet. "It is all up," she added. "Iwouldn't have been such a bad school-mother as you think. There wasnothing heroic or noble about me; but I wanted the post very badly; youshould not have tempted me, Mr Durrant, by offering it. You began byoffering a pony, which we all wanted very badly; and I did wrong to tryto secure that. I failed, and I was sorry; and Robina won it. Then youoffered something much more important than a pony. My feelings ofjealousy towards Robina returned, and I thought I would try hard tobecome school-mother to Ralph; for we are poor at home, and I am notvery happy, and you offered things which would have made my success inlife--"
"You don't suppose for a single moment that the path you choose to walkin could have conduced to su
ccess--real success in life, Harriet Lane?"said Mr Durrant. "Did ever deceit really prosper? I tell you what itis, Harriet," he said, changing his tone now and going up to the girland taking her hand, "that you ought to be down on your knees thankingProvidence that at that terrible moment which you so cleverly andwickedly planned in order to show off your own bravery, little Ralph wasnot drowned. Had that sailor not unexpectedly come to the rescue, Ralphcould certainly never have reached the shore, and it is even doubtfulwhether you could have done so yourself. You played with edged tools,my child, and you may be thankful you were not more severely