Dorothy at Oak Knowe

  CHAPTER XV

  MRS. JARLEY ENTERTAINS

  "I've counted! And I beg pardon for rushing in here like that. But Iwas afraid the others had favors to ask and I wanted to get mine infirst!" said Gwendolyn, after the brief pause Miss Tross-Kingdon hadsuggested.

  "Oh! you sweet, unselfish thing!" mocked Winifred, "your favor can'tbe half as fine as mine--"

  "Nor mine! Oh! do please let me speak first, for fear he gets away!"begged Dorothy, eagerly.

  "First come first served, Dolly, please!" coaxed Gwendolyn and theteacher nodded to her to speak.

  "Mine's for next Saturday. Mrs. Jarley's Wax Works are to be in townand Mamma says if you'll allow I may invite the whole school to go.She'll have big sleighs sent out for us and will let us have supper atthe hotel where she stops. May we go?"

  "Wait a moment, Gwendolyn. Did you say the 'whole school'?"

  Each year Lady Jane had allowed her daughter to entertain herschoolmates in some such manner but the number had, heretofore, beenlimited to "Peers" only. Such a wholesale invitation as this requiredsome explanation.

  Gwendolyn's eyes fell and her cheek flushed, while the other girlslistened in wondering delight for her answer, which came after somehesitation. But came frankly at last in the girl's own manner.

  "I'm ashamed now of the silly notions I used to have. I wanted to dosomething which would prove that I am; so instead of picking out a fewof what we called 'our set' I want every girl at Oak Knowe to join us.You'll understand, of course, that there will be no expense toanybody. It's Mamma's farewell treat to us girls, before she goesabroad. May she and I give it?"

  "Indeed, you may, Gwendolyn, if the Bishop approves. With theunderstanding that no lessons are neglected. The winter is about over.Spring exams are near, and 'Honors' or even 'Distinction' will not bewon without hard work."

  "Thank you, Miss Muriel. May I go now and ask the Bishop, then tellthe girls?"

  "Certainly," and there was an expression of greater pleasure on thelady's face than on that of Gwendolyn's even.

  Winifred executed what she called a "war dance" as Gwen disappeared,crying:

  "That's what I call a wholesale burying of the hatchet! That'Honorable' young woman is distinguishing herself. Don't you thinkso, Miss Muriel?"

  "I am pleased. I am very pleased. Gwendolyn has surely dropped herfoolishness and I'm proud of her. It's so much safer for anyone to benormal, without fads or fancies--"

  "Oh! come now, you dear Schoolma'am! Never mind the pretty talk justthis minute, 'cause I can't wait to tell you--Father's coming--myFather is coming and a proper good time with him! If you'll onlyremember I wasn't saucy then--A girl you'd raised to hand, like me,couldn't really be saucy, could she? And--and please just wait aminute. Please let me talk first. Because _I_ can't ask _everybody_,but my darling Father means just as well as Lady Jane. His invite isonly for a dozen--round baker's dozen, to take a trip in his car toMontreal and visit the Ice Palace! Think of that! The beautiful IcePalace that I've never seen in all my life. If you'll say 'yes,' ifyou'll be the picker out of 'em, besides yourself and Miss Hexam andDawkins--Oh! dear! You three grown-ups take off three from mydozen-thirteen! But there'll be ten left, any way, and please say yesand how many days we may be gone and--Oh! I love you, Miss Muriel, youknow I do!"

  The lady Principal calmly loosened Winifred's clasping arms, andsmilingly looked into the sparkling, pleading eyes before her. Whocould be stern with the whimsical child she had cared for during somany years, and under whose apparently saucy manner, lay a deep loveand respect? She did not enlighten the pleader on the fact that thiswas no new thing she had just heard; nor that there had been writtencommunications passing between Mr. Christie and the Bishop withconsent already won. But she put her answer off by saying:

  "We'll see about it, Winifred: and I'm glad there was nobody saveDorothy here to see you so misbehave! But if we go, and if theselection is left to me, I may not please you; for I should choosethose whose record for good conduct is highest and whose preparationfor exams is most complete."

  Winifred wrinkled her brows. Of course she, as hostess couldn't becounted either out or in, but she knew without telling that but few ofher own class-ten would be allowed to go. They were the jolliest "ten"at Oak Knowe and oftener in disgrace about lessons than free from it.

  "Oh! dear! I do wish we'd dreamed this treat was coming! I'd haveforced the 'Aldriches' to study as hard as they played--if--if I hadto do it at the point of my mahl-stick. I guess it'll be a lesson tothem."

  "I trust it will, dear, but Dorothy has waited all this time. Threelittle maids with three little wishes, regular fairy-tale like, andtwo of them granted already. What's yours, Dorothy?"

  Since listening to the others' requests, her own seemed very simple,almost foolish; but she answered promptly:

  "I want to get you a boot-boy."

  Winifred laughed.

  "Hey, Dolly! To switch off from a private-car-ice-palace-trip into aboot-boy's jacket is funny enough. Who's the candidate you'reelectioneering for?"

  Miss Muriel hushed Winifred's nonsense which had gone far enough andwas due, she knew, to the girl's wild delight over her father'spromised visit.

  "If you could find a good one for me, Dorothy, you would certainly bedoing me a favor, not I one for you. Whom do you mean?"

  "Robin Locke, Miss Tross-Kingdon. He's so very poor."

  "Poverty isn't always a recommendation for usefulness. Is he oldenough? Is it that lad who came with Mr. Gilpin?"

  "Yes, Miss Muriel. He's just the loveliest boy I've seen in Canada--"

  "The _only_ one, except Jack!" interrupted Winifred.

  "It was because of me and my carelessness he got hurt and brokehimself. He was carrying my telegram that I ought to have sent longbefore and he was so starved he fell off his bicycle and always eversince I've wished I could help him some way and he'd have such a nicehome here and he wouldn't bring in goats, and his mother could dothings to help and I thought maybe he could do the shoes and otherthings would be easier than what he did and could be a golf-boy forthe Bishop when the time comes and it's pretty near and--"

  "There, Dorothy, take your breath, and put a comma or two into yoursentences. Then we'll talk about this project of yours. Where's Robinnow?"

  "Right out on the settle this minute waiting--if he hasn't goneaway--May I--"

  "Yes, honey, step-an'-fetch him!" laughed Winifred again, "he's usedto that sort of talk."

  Away flashed Dorothy and now, at a really serious rebuke from the LadyPrincipal, Winifred sobered her lively spirits to be an interestedwitness of the coming interview, as Dorothy came speeding back,literally dragging the shy Robin behind her.

  But, as before, the presence of other young folks and Miss Muriel'sfirst question put him at his ease.

  "Robin, are you willing to work rather hard, in a good home, for yourmother and to provide one for her, too?"

  "Why, of course, Ma'am. That's what I was a-doin' when I fell off.Goody! Wouldn't I? Did you ever see my mother, lady?"

  "Yes, Robin, at our Hallowe'en Party," answered Miss Tross-Kingdon,smiling into the beautiful, animated face of this loyal son.

  "You'd like her, Ma'am, you couldn't help it. She's 'the sweetestthing in the garden,' Father used to say, and he knew. She feels badnow, thinking we've been so long at the farmer's 'cause she don't seehow 't we ever can pay them. And the doctor, too. Oh! Ma'am, did youhear tell of such a place? Do you think I could get it?"

  "Yes, lad, I did hear of just such, for Dorothy told me. It's righthere at Oak Knowe. The work is to pick up row after row of girls'shoes, standing over night outside their bedroom doors and to blackenthem, or whiten them, as the case might be, and to have thempunctually back in place, in time for their owners to put on. Cleaningboots isn't such a difficult task as it is a tedious one. The maidscomplain that it's more tiresome than scrubbing, and a boy I knew grewvery careless about his work. If I asked you and your mother to comehere to live, would you get tired?
Or would she dislike to help carefor the linen mending? Of course, you would be paid a fair wage aswell as she. What do you think?"

  What Robin thought was evident: for away he ran to Dorothy's side andcatching her hand kissed it over and over.

  "Oh! you dear, good girl! It was you who helped the doctor set mybones, it was you who let me slide on your new toboggan, and it's youwho've 'spoke for me' to this lady. Oh! I do thank you. And now I'mnot afraid to go back and see Mr. Gilpin. He was so vexed with mebecause he thought--May I go now, Ma'am? and when do you want us,Mother and me?"

  "To-morrow morning, at daybreak. Will you be here?"

  "Will I not? Oh! good-by. I must go quick! and tell my Mother that sheneedn't worry any more. Oh! how glad I am!"

  With a bow toward Miss Tross-Kingdon and a gay wave of his hand towardthe girls, he vanished from the room, fairly running down the corridorand whistling as he went. The rules of Oak Knowe had yet all to belearned but it certainly was a cheerful "noise in halls" to which theylistened now.

  "And that's another 'link' in life, such as Uncle Seth was alwayswatching for. If I hadn't delayed that telegram and he hadn't fallendown and--everything else that happened--Robin would never have hadsuch a lovely chance," said Dorothy proudly.

  "That's a dangerous doctrine, Dorothy. It's fine to see the 'links'you speak of, but not at all fine to do evil that good may come. I'drather have you believe that this same good might have come to the ladwithout your own first mistake. But it's time for studying Sundaylessons and you must go."

  "Catch me studying 'links' for things, Dolly, if it gets a bodylectured. Dear Lady Principal does so love to cap her kindnesses with'a few remarks.' There's a soft side and a hard side to that woman,and a middle sort of schoolma'amy side between. She can't help it,poor thing, and mostly her soft side was in front just now.

  "Think of it! Wax Works and Ice Palaces all in one term! I do justhope Mrs. Jarley'll have a lot of real blood-curdling 'figgers' tolook at and not all miminy-piminy ones. Well, good night, honey, I'moff to be as good as gold."

  Every pupil at Oak Knowe, in the week that followed, tried to be "asgood as gold," for a pleasure such as Lady Jane proposed to give theschool was as welcome to the highest Form as to the lowest Minims, andthe result was that none was left out of the party--not one.

  It was all perfectly arranged, even the weather conspiring to furtherthe good time, with a beautifully clear day and the air turned mild,with a promise of the coming spring. The snow was beginning to waste,yet the sleighing held fine and the city stables had been ransacked toobtain the most gorgeous outfits with the safest drivers.

  Thirty handsome sleighs with their floating plumes and luxuriousrobes, drawn by thirty spans of beautiful horses was the alluringprocession which entered Oak Knowe grounds on the eventful Saturday;and three hundred happy girls, each in her best attire piled intothem. Yes, and one small boy! For who could bear to leave behind thatone last child of the great family? And a boy who in but a week's timehad learned to clean shoes so well and promptly?

  So clad in his new suit, of the school's uniform, "Such as all we menfolks wear"--as he had proudly explained to his mother when he firstappeared in this before her--and with a warm top-coat and cap tomatch, the happy youngster rode in the leading sleigh in which satLady Jane herself.

  Of how those happy young folks took possession of the exhibition hall,that had been reserved for them; and smiled or shuddered over thelifelike images of famous men and women; and finally tore themselvesaway from the glib tongue of the exhibitor and his fascinatingshow--all this any schoolgirl reader can picture for herself.

  Then of the dinner at the great hotel, in a beautiful room alsoreserved that they might indulge their appetites as hunger cravedwithout fear or observation of other guests: the slow drive about thecity, and the swift drive home--with not one whit of the gayety dimmedby any untoward accident.

  "Oh! it's been a perfect success! Nothing has happened that shouldnot, and I believe that I've been the happiest girl of all! But such acrowd of them. Better count your flock, Miss Tross-Kingdon, maybe, andsee if any are missing;" said Lady Jane as she stepped down at the OakKnowe door.

  "I don't see how there could be, under your care, my Lady, but I'llcall a mental roll."

  So she did. But the roll was not perfect. Two were missing. Why?