VIII.
"_THE SPIDER AND THE FLY._"
If Mrs. Howard had perhaps hoped that little May's pleading would haveany softening effect on Gracie, she was mistaken. The message she hadexpected to receive on reaching home did not come to her. Nor did shehear a word from Gracie through the evening until the little girl'sbed-time came. Then she sent word that the hour had come, still hopingand believing that the stubborn heart must relent, and that Graciewould feel that she could not go to rest unforgiven and without hermother's good-night kiss. But she was mistaken. Gracie received themessage in sullen silence, but obeyed and went to bed without one wordof sorrow or repentance.
It was the same in the morning. Gracie rose and was dressed; herbreakfast was brought and eaten in solitude, as her dinner and supperhad been yesterday; and still the nurse who waited upon her passedin and out, as it was necessary, and brought no word to comfort thesorrowing heart of her mother.
School-time came, and Gracie knew that the children in her class wouldbelieve that her absence was caused by her misconduct of the previousday, as was indeed too true; but this only made her feel more and moreproud and obstinate.
The long, weary morning wore away, the solitary dinner was once moreover, and again the house seemed so still and lonely, for mamma and thechildren had gone out again, and the servants were all downstairs.
By and by Gracie heard a light, quick foot running up the stairs andcoming towards her own door. The latch was turned and the door softlyopened,--Mrs. Howard had not locked her in, for she believed that shecould trust Gracie and that she would not disobey so far as to leavethe room she had been bidden to keep,--and Hattie's face peeped in.
Gracie started, partly in astonishment, partly in dismay; for what mustshe do now? Mamma would not have allowed her to see Hattie, she knew,if she had been at home; and must she send her away? She was so glad tosee some one, to be able to speak to some one.
Hattie came in, closed the door behind her, and, running to Gracie, puther arm about her neck and kissed her, saying with much energy,--
"It's too mean, Gracie! it's the meanest thing I ever knew! It's agreat shame!"
There could be no doubt of her sympathy, of her belief that Gracie wasin the right, or at least that she was not so very much to blame, andwas undeservedly punished. For Hattie was really and truly very fondof Gracie, admired her and considered her very clever; and, althougheven she had been dismayed by Gracie's outburst yesterday, she was nowdisposed to treat it lightly, and to say that Gracie had been provoked.There was another reason, too, which induced Hattie to take partagainst Nellie Ransom, and to wish to put her in the wrong.
"O Hattie!" said Gracie, "how did you come up here? Mamma wouldn'tallow it, I know."
Hattie laughed triumphantly.
"I knew that," she said, "for I came to the door a little while ago andthe servant said you were up in your room, but he thought you couldnot see any one to-day, and he said every one else was out. But I saidI had a message from school for you, and that you must have it thisafternoon. So of course he thought it was from Miss Ashton, as I meanthe should, and he let me come up."
"Mamma will be displeased," said Gracie; "you ought not, Hattie. I'mvery glad to see you, but I must not let you stay."
"I'll only stay a few minutes," said Hattie, taking the seat whichGracie had not ventured to offer her. "I've something perfectlysplendid to tell you."
"Was everybody saying ugly things about me to-day, and talking as ifI was as wicked as a murderer?" asked Gracie, more interested in theopinion others might hold of her than in Hattie's promised news.
There had really been very little said on the matter; the offence wastoo serious and too shocking to Gracie's young companions to make it anagreeable subject of conversation; and, although there had been somewondering as to whether Gracie would ever be allowed to return to theschool, but few unkind remarks had been made, and these were more insorrow than in censure.
And Hattie was too full of her errand and of the fear of being found onforbidden ground to make as good a story of that little as she mighthave chosen to do at another time.
"Well, no, not much," she answered. "I suppose that old Nellie,hateful thing, was glad enough."
"Did she say so?" questioned Gracie.
"No," said Hattie; "she did not speak about it. Gracie, did Miss Ashtonsend word to your mother and ask her to punish you?"
"She wrote to her about it, and I suppose mamma punished me of her ownaccord," answered Gracie.
"How long is she going to keep you up here?" asked Hattie.
"Till--till--I beg Miss Ashton's pardon," said Gracie, her angry priderising again at the thought; "and I _never_ will do it, no, _never_,not if I stay here a year!"
"But the fair," said Hattie; "you know the fair is in two weeks, and ifyou don't come out before that you'll miss all the fun."
Now, apart from the interest which all the little girls took in thefair, Gracie had a strong desire, as usual, to play some very prominentpart therein. As we know, she had wished to be Queen, and had beenvexed because Maggie Bradford had been chosen again; but, although shecould not have this coveted honor, she still hoped and intended to makeherself very conspicuous there.
It was true that the thought of the fair and all that concerned it hadbeen much in her mind, even during her imprisonment; but it had notoccurred to her that her resolution of never, never apologizing to MissAshton, "even if she stayed shut up for a whole year," would scarcelyagree with her appearance at the festival.
She sat as if confounded at Hattie's words.
"I'd do it if I were you," continued the latter, seeing the effect shehad produced. "It's a great shame that you have to, but then you _will_have to, you know; and I'd do it and have it over. If you're going tofret and fuss here about it, you'll feel a great deal worse at lastwhen you come to do it."
Hattie's advice on this subject was certainly good in itself, thoughshe did not put it before Gracie in a right light.
"Miss Ashton is so unjust and so awfully partial to Nellie," poutedGracie, although her resolution was beginning to waver a little for thefirst time.
"I know it," said Hattie; "but she can't make other people think Nellieis the smartest child. Every one knows you are, Gracie, even if theywon't say so."
"I can learn three lessons while Nellie learns one; but Miss Ashton isalways praising her and never praises me," was Gracie's answer.
"I know it," said Hattie again. "Nellie--oh, I can't bear thatgirl!--sets up to be so wonderfully good, and Miss Ashton alwaysbelieves whatever she says, and makes such a fuss about her; but youcan just _say_ you beg Miss Ashton's pardon, and have it over. The restof the class will have every thing their own way if you don't come outpretty soon and have your word about the fair; and there's your mat,too, you know, Gracie."
"I forgot my mat yesterday when I came away," said Gracie. "I wish youhad known it and then you could have brought it to me."
Again Hattie gave a triumphant little laugh, and putting her hand intoher pocket drew out the mat,--that is, _a_ mat.
Gracie seized it eagerly, gave Hattie a kiss, saying, "Oh, you dearthing! I'm so glad."
Then she looked for the stain, but there was no stain to be seen.
"Where's that ink-spot? Oh, Hattie, did you take it out? There's not asign of it."
"No," said Hattie, "I did not take it out."
"Why!" exclaimed Gracie, turning the mat over. "Why, it is--it is--it'snot mine. It's Nellie's mat!"
"I'm going to tell you," said Hattie. "This morning Miss Ashton handedme your history, which I believe you left in the cloak-room yesterday,and told me to put it in your desk. So when I opened the desk, thefirst thing I saw was the mat, and I knew you must have forgotten it.Nellie, the mean thing, she had brought her mat to school to-day again,and said she was going to work on it in recess; but when recess camethe other children coaxed her to go out in the garden 'cause it wasso pleasant, and she went. So while they were all down there, I sawt
he way to play Miss Nellie a good trick and to help you, dear; and Iran up to the school-room, changed Nellie's mat for yours, put hersback just as she had left it, and she'll never know the difference andthink that somehow that ink-spot has come on her mat. And do you know,Gracie, it was the most fortunate thing that Nellie had just workedthose two rows more that made her work even with yours; so she nevercan know. You remember yesterday we could scarcely tell them apart, andnow they look almost exactly alike."
"But what then?" said Gracie, almost frightened at the thought ofHattie's probable meaning.
"Why, don't you see?" said Hattie, who told her story as if she thoughtshe had done something very clever and praiseworthy; "you can justfinish this mat as if it was your own, and need not bother yourselfabout the ink-stain."
"But--but--Hattie--this one is Nellie's," said Gracie in a shockedvoice.
"What of that? we'll keep the secret, and no one will ever know butus two," said Hattie. "Nellie has the other one, and that's goodenough for her. She has no right to expect the most money from yourgrandmamma. Take a great deal of pains with this, Gracie, and make thework look just like Nellie's."
"But, I can't, I can't," said Gracie. "It seems to me almostlike--stealing."
"Stealing!" repeated Hattie. "I'd like to know who has been stealing! Ionly changed the mats, and you have the best right to the nicest one.I was not going to have Nellie get every thing away from you. She justthinks she's going to make herself the head of the school and beat youin every thing."
Now as I have said, and as you will readily believe, there was more atthe bottom of Hattie's desire to thwart Nellie than her wish to seeGracie stand first, although she was really very fond of the latter,and it was this.
It had so happened that Nellie's rather blunt truthfulness andclear-sighted honesty had more than once detected Hattie's want ofstraightforwardness, and even defeated some object she had in view, andfor this Hattie bore her a grudge. She was particularly displeased withher at the present time because of a reprimand from Miss Ashton whichshe chose to consider she owed to Nellie.
Coming to school rather early one morning, a day or two since, Nelliefound Belle Powers and Hattie there before her.
Belle sat upon the lower step of the upper flight of stairs, in astate of utter woe, with the saddest of little faces, and wiping thetears from her eyes. Hattie, grasping the banister with one hand, wasswinging herself back and forth, saying, "I wouldn't care if I wereyou. 'Tis nothing to cry about;" but she looked ashamed and rathercaught when she saw Nellie coming up the stairs.
"What is the matter, Belle?" asked Nellie, sitting down beside theschool pet and darling, and putting her arm around her neck.
"Fanny Leroy said things about me," sobbed Belle.
"What things?" questioned Nellie with a searching look at Hattie.
"She said I was so bad and spoiled I could hardly ever be good, evenwhen I wanted to," answered Belle piteously; "and she said Miss Ashtonhad to be excusing me all the time for the naughty things I did inschool. And I loved Fanny, and I wouldn't have said such bad thingsabout her; and, oh, dear! I thought she loved me too. She came toAunt Margaret's when I was there the day before she went away, to saygood-bye to Maggie and Bessie and me; and she gave us each a nutmeg toremember her by and to keep for ever an' ever an' ever for a keepsake,and she kissed me ever so many times. And all the time she had beensaying bad things about me, and so I'm going to throw away the nutmeg,'cause I don't want a keepsake of a girl who made b'lieve she liked mewhen she didn't."
"I don't believe it," said Nellie with far more energy than was usualwith her, and still regarding Hattie with searching looks.
"But Hattie says she did," repeated Belle.
Hattie's _saying_ a thing made it by no means sure in Nellie'seyes, and although she was not apt to interfere or meddle where shehad no right to do so, she would not let this pass without furtherquestioning. She was fond of the absent Fanny and loved Belle dearly;and believing that both were now wronged, she set herself to right themif possible.
"I don't believe it," she said again.
"Well, you just can believe it," said Hattie resentfully. "Don't I knowwhat Fanny said to me? It's nothing to make such a fuss about, anyhow."
"Belle has very easily hurt feelings," said Nellie; "and besides, it_is_ something to make a fuss about. And Fanny hardly ever would sayunkind things of other people; the girls used to think she was 'mosttoo particular about it. And, Hattie Leroy, I don't believe she eversaid such things about Belle; anyhow, not in that way."
"She did, too, I tell you," persisted Hattie, secure in Fanny'sabsence, and determined not to acknowledge that she had misrepresentedher innocent words, from the mere love of talking and exaggeration,too; for she had not intended to hurt Belle so much, and was now reallysorry to see her so grieved. "She did, too, I tell you. How do you knowwhat Fanny said to me?"
"I don't know what she did say, but I am sure she never said that,"repeated Nellie.
Both little girls had raised their voices as they contradicted oneanother, and as the tones of neither were very amicable by this time,they drew the attention of Miss Ashton.
"What is this, my little girls; what is the trouble?" she asked, comingup the stairs to them; then, seeing Belle's still distressed andtear-stained face she inquired, "Belle, darling, what is wrong?"
Nellie and Hattie were both rather abashed, especially the latter,who knew herself to be in the wrong; but Belle answered, "Hattiethinks Fanny Leroy said something, and Nellie thinks she didn't.I don't know," she added with a mournful shake of her head, "butsomehow somebody must be rather 'deceitful and _despicably_ wicked.'"Desperately, Belle meant, and she quoted her words in no spirit ofirreverence, but because she thought them suited to the, to her,solemnity of the occasion.
Miss Ashton, too, feared that there was some deceitfulness, or at leastexaggeration; and seeing that little Belle was in real trouble shequestioned further, and Nellie told her what Hattie had said.
This was not the first time, by any means, that Miss Ashton had knownmischief to arise from Hattie's thoughtless way, to call it by noworse name, of repeating things; and she reproved her pretty sharply,telling her that such speeches were not at all like her gentle,amiable cousin Fanny, and she could not believe her guilty of them;and even had she said them she, Hattie, had no right to repeat themand make needless sorrow and trouble for Belle. Then she soothed Belleand encouraged her to think that Fanny had not so wronged her; andafter school she kept Hattie for a few moments, and spoke to her veryseriously but kindly on her idle, foolish habit of telling tales withexaggeration and untruthfulness.
But Hattie, in repeating this, had said that "Miss Ashton kept her inand gave her an awful scolding just because she had said something thatcry-baby Belle did not like, and Nellie went and told her and so puther in a scrape;" nor did she see that it had been her own blame inthe first instance. And ever since she had been vexed with Nellie, andthis added strength to her wish to have Gracie outstrip Nellie. It wasnot altogether this, let us do her justice, for she really loved Graciebetter than any other child in the school, and was anxious to have herwin for her own sake.
But we must go back to these two little girls as they sat together inGracie's room.
"Yes, so she does," echoed Gracie; "and I suppose now Miss Ashton willtake away my conduct marks, and being away to-day, I'll lose my placein all the classes too. Not that I could not get ahead of her againeasily enough," she added contemptuously.
"But she can't have the best mat now," said Hattie.
"I don't see how I _could_ do that," said Gracie. "It is her's, youknow, Hattie, and I can't, really I can't."
"But you'll have to now," said Hattie. "You know Nellie has found theink-spot on the other mat by this time, and there's no way to give herthis one back."
Yes, there was one way, but that did not enter Hattie's thoughts.
"I couldn't," said Gracie again, shrinking at the idea of doing whatshe knew to be so dishonest and
deceitful. "I must have my own mat,Hattie; but I do wish this was mine and the other Nellie's."
"But we can't put it back now, and I took it for you," said Hattiecomplainingly. "Gracie, you must keep it now. I shall get into an awfulscrape if you don't; and it's real mean of you."
It would take too long to tell you of all the arguments and persuasionsHattie used. How she pleaded and reproached; how she insisted thatthere was no way of undoing what she had done; how she excited andincreased Gracie's jealous pride and desire to outdo Nellie; and thislast she found by far the most effectual argument.
And--Gracie yielded. Persuading herself that she had the best right toreceive the highest premium because her own grandmamma had offered it;putting from her the thought of the only way in which justice could nowbe done to Nellie, on the plea that Hattie would be disgraced, and shewould be "too mean" to bring this upon her; rousing up all her ownnaughty and envious feelings against innocent Nellie, she gave way atlast and fell before temptation. Fell into the very sin, or even worse,from which she felt herself so very secure,--deceit and theft, for itwas no less.
"Now I'll go, dear," said Hattie, jumping up as soon as Gracie hadyielded, perhaps afraid that she might repent and insist that she couldnot keep the mat, "and no one but us two will ever know the secret.And, Gracie, make up your mind to ask Miss Ashton's pardon, so youwon't lose all the fun."