the vicar had stepped in to interfere, were spokenof with bated breath and with intense awe.
Mrs Willis had a great idea of bringing as much happiness as possibleinto young lives. It was with this idea that she had the quaint littlecompartments railed off in the play-room.
"For the elder girls," she would say, "there is no pleasure so great ashaving, however small the spot, a little liberty hall of their own. Inher compartment each girl is absolute monarch. No one can enter insidethe little curtained rail without her permission. Here she can show herindividual taste, her individual ideas. Here she can keep hermost-prized possessions. In short, her compartment in the play-room isa little home to her."
The play-room, large as it was, admitted of only twenty compartments;these compartments were not easily won. No amount of clevernessattained them; they were altogether dependent on conduct. No girl couldbe the honourable owner of her own little drawing-room until she haddistinguished herself by some special act of kindness and self-denial.Mrs Willis had no fixed rule on this subject. She alone gave away thecompartments, and she often made choice of girls on whom she conferredthis honour in a way which rather puzzled and surprised their fellows.
When the compartment was won it was not a secure possession. To retainit depended also on conduct; and here again Mrs Willis was absolute inher sway. More than once the girls had entered the room in the morningto find some favourite's furniture removed and her little possessionstaken carefully down from the walls, the girl herself alone knowing thereason for this sudden change. Annie Forest, who had been at LavenderHouse for four years, had once, for a solitary month of her existence,owned her own special drawing-room. She had obtained it as a reward foran act of heroism. One of the little pupils had set her pinafore onfire. There was no teacher present at the moment--the other girls hadscreamed and run for help, but Annie, very pale, had caught the littleone in her arms and had crushed out the flames with her own hands. Thechild's life was spared, the child was not even hurt, but Annie was inthe hospital for a week. At the end of a week she returned to theschool-room and play-room as the heroine of the hour. Mrs Willisherself kissed her brow, and presented her in the midst of the approvingsmiles of her companions with the prettiest drawing-room of the sets.Annie retained her honourable post for one month.
Never did the girls of Lavender House forget the delights of that month.The fantastic arrangements of the little drawing-room filled them withecstasies. Annie was truly Japanese in her style--she was alsointensely liberal in all her arrangements. In the tiny space of thislittle inclosure wild pranks were perpetrated, ceaseless jokes made up.From Annie's drawing-room issued peals of exquisite mirth. She gaveafternoon tea from a Japanese set of tea-things. Outside herdrawing-room always collected a crowd of girls, who tried to peep overthe rail or to draw aside the curtains. Inside the sacred spotcertainly reigned chaos, and one day Miss Danesbury had to fly to therescue, for in a fit of mad mirth Annie herself had knocked down thelittle Japanese tea-table, the tea-pot and tea-things were in fragmentson the floor, and the tea and milk poured in streams outside thecurtains. Mrs Willis sent for Annie that evening, and Miss Forestretired from her interview with red eyes and a meek expression.
"Girls," she said, in confidence that night, "good-bye to Japan. I gaveher leave to do it--the care of an empire is more than I can manage."
The next day the Japanese drawing-room had been handed over to anotherpossessor, and Annie reigned as queen over her empire no more.
Mrs Willis, anxious at all times that her girls should be happy, madespecial arrangements for their benefit on Sunday. Sunday was by nomeans dull at Lavender House--Sunday was totally unlike the six dayswhich followed it. Even the stupidest girl could scarcely complain ofthe severity of Sunday lessons--even the merriest girl could scarcelyspeak of the day as dull. Mrs Willis made an invariable rule ofspending all Sunday with her pupils. On this day she really unbent--onthis day she was all during the long hours, what she was during theshort half-hour on each evening in the week. On Sunday she neitherreproved nor corrected. If punishment or correction were necessary, shedeputed Miss Good or Miss Danesbury to take her place. On Sunday shesat with the little children round her knee, and the older girlsclustering about her. Her gracious and motherly face was like a sunshining in the midst of these young girls. In short, she was like thepersonified form of Goodness in their midst. It was necessary,therefore, that all those who wished to do right should be happy onSunday, and only those few who deliberately preferred evil should shrinkfrom the brightness of this day.
It is astonishing how much a sympathising and guiding spirit can effect.The girls at Lavender House thought Sunday the shortest day in theweek. There were no unoccupied or dull moments--school toil wasforgotten--school punishment ceased, to be resumed again if necessary onMonday morning. The girls in their best dresses could chatter freely inEnglish--they could read their favourite books--they could wander aboutthe house as they pleased: for on Sunday the two baize doors were alwayswide-open, and Mrs Willis's own private suite of rooms was ready toreceive them. If the day was fine they walked to church, each choosingher own companion for the pleasant walk; if the day was wet there wasservice in the chapel, Mr Everard always conducting either morning orevening prayers. In the afternoon the girls were allowed to do prettymuch as they pleased, but after tea there always came a delightful hour,when the elder girls retired with their mistress into her own specialboudoir, and she either told them stories or sang to them as only shecould sing. At sixty years of age Mrs Willis still possessed the mostsympathetic and touching voice those girls had ever listened to. HesterThornton broke down completely on her first Sunday at Lavender Housewhen she heard her school-mistress sing "The Better Land." No oneremarked on her tears, but two people saw them; for her mistress kissedher tenderly that night, and said a few strong words of help andencouragement, and Annie Forest, who made no comment, had also seenthem, and wondered vaguely if this new and disagreeable pupil had aheart after all.
On Sunday night Mrs Willis herself went round to each little bed andgave a mother-kiss to each of her pupils--a mother-kiss and a murmuredblessing; and in many breasts resolves were then formed which were tohelp the girls through the coming week. Some of these resolves, madenot in their own strength, bore fruit in long after-years. There is nodoubt that very few girls who lived long enough at Lavender House everin after-days found their Sundays dull.
CHAPTER TEN.
VARIETIES.
Without any doubt, wild, naughty, impulsive Annie Forest was the mostpopular girl in the school. She was always in scrapes--she was scarcelyever out of hot water--her promises of amendment were truly like theproverbial pie-crust: but she was so lovable, so kind-hearted, so saucyand piquant and pretty, that very few could resist the nameless charmwhich she possessed. The little ones adored Annie, who was kindnessitself to them; the bigger girls could not help admiring herfearlessness and courage; the best and noblest girls in the school triedto influence her for good. She was more or less an object of interestto every one; her courage was of just the sort to captivateschool-girls, and her moral weakness was not observed by theseinexperienced young eyes.
Hester alone, of all the girls who for a long time had come to LavenderHouse, failed to see any charm in Annie. She began by considering herill-bred, and when she found she was the school favourite, she tossedher proud little head and determined that she for one would never besubjugated by such a naughty girl. Hester could read character withtolerable clearness; she was an observant child--very observant, andvery thoughtful for her twelve years; and as the little witch Annie hadfailed to throw any spell over her, she saw her faults far more clearlythan did her companions. There is no doubt that this brilliant,charming, and naughty Annie had heaps of faults; she had noperseverance; she was all passion and impulse; she could be the kindestof the kind, but from sheer thoughtlessness and wildness she ofteninflicted severe pain, even on those she loved best. Annie very nearlyworshipped Mrs
Willis, she had the most intense adoration for her, sherespected her beyond any other human being. There were moments when theimpulsive and hot-headed child felt that she could gladly lay down herlife for her school-mistress. Once the mistress was ill, and Anniecurled herself up all night outside her door, thereby breaking rules,and giving herself a severe cold; but her passion and agony were sogreat that she could only be soothed by at last stealing into thedarkened room and kissing the face she loved.
"Prove your love to me, Annie, by going downstairs and keeping theschool rules as perfectly as possible," whispered the teacher.
"I will--I will never break a rule again as long as I live, if you getbetter, Mrs Willis," responded the child.
She ran downstairs with her resolves strong within her, and yet in halfan hour she was reprimanded for wilful and desperate disobedience.
One day Cecil Temple had invited a select number of