you even seethe shadow of a footfall. Norah, my pretty birdie, you must be thethrush for the nonce; here, lake your post, watch the lawn and the frontavenue. Now then, girls, the rest of us can see what spoils Betty hasprovided for us."
The basket was dragged from its hiding-place, and longing faces peeredeagerly and greedily into its contents.
"On, oh! I say, cherries! and what a lot! Good Betty! dear, darlingBetty! you gathered those from your own trees, and they are as ripe asyour apple-blossom cheeks! Now then, what next? I do declare,meringues! Betty knew my weakness. Twelve meringues--that is one and ahalf apiece; Susan Drummond sha'n't have more than her share. Meringuesand cheesecakes and--tartlets--oh! oh! what a duck Betty is! Aplum-cake--good, excellent Betty, she deserves to be canonised! Whathave we here? Roast chickens--better and better! What is in thisparcel? Slices of ham; Betty knew she dare not show her face again ifshe forgot the ham. Knives and forks, spoons--fresh rolls--salt andpepper, and a dozen bottles of ginger-beer, and a little corkscrew incase we want it."
These various exclamations came from many lips. The contents of thebasket were carefully and tenderly replaced, the lid was fastened down,and it was once more consigned to its hiding-place under the thickboughs of the laurel.
Not a moment too soon, for just at this instant Susan cackled fiercely,and the little group withdrew, Annie first whispering--
"At twelve to-night, then, girls--oh, yes, I have managed the key."
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
TRUANTS.
It was a proverbial saying in the school that Annie Forest was always inhot water; she was exceedingly daring, and loved what she called a spiceof danger. This was not the first stolen picnic at which Annie reignedas queen, but this was the largest she had yet organised, and this wasthe first time she had dared to go out of doors with her satellites.
Hitherto these naughty sprites had been content to carry their basketsfull of artfully-concealed provisions to a disused attic which wasexactly over the box-room, and consequently out of reach of theinhabited part of the house. Here, making a table of a great chestwhich stood in the attic, they feasted gloriously, undisturbed by themusty smell or by the innumerable spiders and beetles which disappearedrapidly in all directions at their approach; but when Annie one dayincautiously suggested that on summer nights the outside world was allat their disposal, they began to discover flaws in theirbanqueting-hall. Mary Price said the musty smell made her half sick;Phyllis declared that at the sight of a spider she invariably turnedfaint; and Susan Drummond was heard to murmur that in a dusty, fustyattic even meringues scarcely kept her awake. The girls were all wildto try a midnight picnic out of doors, and Annie in her present mood,was only too eager for the fun.
With her usual skill she organised the whole undertaking, and eightagitated, slightly frightened, but much excited girls retired to theirrooms that night. Annie, in her heart of hearts, felt rather sorry thatMrs Willis should happen to be away; dim ideas of honour andtrustworthiness were still stirring in her breast, but she dared notthink now.
The night was in every respect propitious; the moon would not rise untilafter twelve, so the little party could get away under the friendlyshelter of the darkness, and soon afterwards have plenty of light toenjoy their stolen feast. They had arranged to make no movement untilclose on midnight, and then they were all to meet in a passage whichbelonged to the kitchen regions, and where there was a side door whichopened directly into the shrubbery. This door was not very oftenunlocked, and Annie had taken the key from its place in the lock somedays before. She went to bed with her companions at nine o'clock asusual, and presently fell into an uneasy doze. She awoke to hear thegreat clock in the hall strike eleven and a few minutes afterwards sheheard Miss Danesbury's footsteps retiring to her room at the other endof the passage.
"Danesbury is always the last to go to bed," whispered Annie to herself;"I can get up presently."
She lay for another twenty minutes, then, softly rising, began to put onher clothes in the dark. Over her dress she fastened her waterproof,and placed a close-fitting brown velvet cap on her curly head. Havingdressed herself, she approached Susan's bed with the intention ofrousing her.
"I shall have fine work now," she said, "and shall probably have toresort to cold water. Really, if Susy proves too hard to wake, I shalllet her sleep on--her drowsiness is past bearing."
Annie, however, was considerably startled when she discovered that MissDrummond's bed was without an occupant.
At this moment the room door was very softly opened, and Susan, fullydressed and in her waterproof, came in.
"Why, Susy, where have you been?" exclaimed Annie. "Fancy you beingawake a moment before it is necessary!"
"For once in a way I was restless," replied Miss Drummond, "so I thoughtI would get up, and take a turn in the passage outside. The house isperfectly quiet, and we can come now; most of the girls are alreadywaiting at the side door."
Holding their shoes in their hands, Annie and Susan went noiselesslydown the carpetless stairs, and found the remaining six girls waitingfor them by the side door.
"Rover is our one last danger now," said Annie, as she fitted thewell-oiled key into the lock. "Put on your shoes, girls, and let me outfirst; I think I can manage him."
She was alluding to a great mastiff which was usually kept chained up byday. Phyllis and Norah laid their hands on her arm.
"Oh, Annie, oh, love, suppose he seizes on you, and knocks you down--oh,dare you venture?"
"Let me go," said Annie a little contemptuously; "you don't suppose I amafraid?"
Her fingers trembled, for her nerves were highly strung; but she managedto unlock the door and draw back the bolts, and, opening it softly, shewent out into the silent night.
Very slight as the noise she made was, it had aroused the watchfulRover, who trotted around swiftly to know what was the matter. ButAnnie had made friends with Rover long ago by stealing to his kenneldoor and feeding him, and she had now but to say "Rover" in hermelodious voice, and throw her arms around his neck, to completelysubvert his morals.
"He is one of us, girls," she called in a whisper to her companions;"come out. Rover will be as naughty as the rest of us, and go with usas our bodyguard to the fairies' field. Now, I will lock the door onthe outside, and we can be off. Ah, the moon is getting up splendidly,and when we have secured Betty's basket, we shall be quite out of reachof danger."
At Annie's words of encouragement the seven girls ventured out. Shelocked the door, put the key into her pocket, and, holding Rover by hiscollar; led the way in the direction of the laurel-bush. The basket wassecured, and Susan, to her disgust, and Mary Morris were elected for thefirst part of the way to carry it. The young truants then walkedquickly down the avenue until they came to a turn-stile which led into awood.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
IN THE FAIRIES' FIELD.
The moon had now come up brilliantly, and the little party were in thehighest possible spirits. They had got safely away from the house, andthere was now, comparatively speaking, little fear of discovery. Themore timid ones, who ventured to confess that their hearts were in theirmouths while Annie was unlocking the side door, now became the mostexcited, and perhaps the boldest, under the reaction, which set in.Even the wood, which was comparatively dark, with only patches ofmoonlight here and there, and queer weird shadows where the trees werethinnest, could not affect their spirits.
The poor, sleepy rabbits must have been astonished that night at theshouts of the revellers, as they hurried past them, and the birds musthave taken their sleepy heads from under their downy wings, and wonderedif the morning had come some hours before its usual time.
More than one solemn old owl blinked at them, and hooted as they passed,and told them in owl language what silly, naughty young things theywere, and how they would repent of this dissipation by-and-by. But ifthe girls were to have an hour of remorse, it did not visit them then;their hearts were like feathers, a
nd by the time they reached the fieldswhere the fairies were supposed to play their spirits had become almostuncontrollable.
Luckily for them this small green field lay in a secluded hollow, andmore luckily for them no tramps were about to hear their merriment.Rover, who constituted himself Annie's protector, now lay down by herside, and as she was the real ringleader and queen of the occasion, sheordered her subjects about pretty sharply.
"Now, girls, quick; open the basket. Yes, I'm going to rest. I haveorganised the whole thing, and I'm fairly tired; so I'll just sitquietly here, and Rover will take care of me while you set thingsstraight. Ah! good Betty; she did not even forget the whitetable-cloth."
Here one of the girls remarked casually that the grass was wet with dew,and that it was well they had all put on their waterproofs.
Annie interrupted