A Fluttered Dovecote

mum.The window is right enough."

  "It did sound like that," squeaked Miss Furness.

  "And that's what it was, mum, if there was none of this here out afore."

  "Oh, no, my good man," cries Mrs Blunt, getting less fearful and moredignified every moment--"the paths were quite clear this evening."

  "Then it's some of your young ladies been a havin' a lark," said the lowfellow.

  I turned round to whisper to Clara, but she was gone. Directly after,though, she slipped back to my side, and I whispered to her, laying myhand upon her arm--

  "Had you not better tell? Say that it was an accident."

  "Hold your tongue," she whispered, pinching me.

  Then we shrank into the background, for I was afraid some one wouldnotice how bulky our dressing-gowns looked; for, of course, we had nothad time to undress again.

  We heard the policeman promise to keep an eye on the place, and to callin the morning. Then we heard his footsteps on the gravel, and thepieces of china cracking, windows shut down, and orders for us to goback to our rooms, as there was nothing to fear; when, as we wereascending the stairs, Mrs Blunt's nightcapped head was thrust out ofthe door, and we heard her exclaim--

  "I'll investigate this disgraceful trick in the morning, young ladies."

  I trembled for poor Clara--almost as much as I did for Achille; for itseemed as though the poor girl was always to act as scapegoat; though,certainly, she really deserved to be in disgrace this time, for I beggedher most earnestly not to throw out the water.

  I would have given Clara half my basin with pleasure, if I could; butthen, that would have been of no service. Judge, then, of my surprisewhen, after looking at Patty, fast asleep as if nothing had been thematter, I turned to Clara's washstand, there was her basin, safe andsound, and the jug was standing in it!

  As we upon the second floor all had small washstands and jugs and basinsof the same pattern, I thought that, after all, she had taken mine; butshe had not, nor yet Patty's; and as she saw what I was looking at, sheburst out laughing, and said--

  "I slipped up and into the Fraulein's room, and took hers; and now theymay find out if they can. Of course, you won't tell, darling? Promiseme that."

  I felt so cross that I was ready to say I would; for I was disappointed,and though the thoughts of the meeting had taken away my appetite, nowthat it was not to be, I felt as hungry as possible. But it would havebeen cruel to have said anything, so, of course, I promised.

  "Another disappointment for the poor French Verb," whispered Clara,laughing.

  "For shame," I said, "to speak in so disrespectful a way."

  "But it does not much matter," she said; "for he would have been afraidto climb up, when he found out really how high it was."

  "Don't talk stuff!" I said; "he would get up if it were twice as high,for my sake. Why, look how Leander swam the Hellespont."

  "And I say," cried Clara--laughing, and seeming in the highest of glee,which was too bad--"how cold and shivering he must have been when he gotacross. Bo-o-o-h?" she said, shuddering, "what a cold frog of a lover!I shouldn't have liked that."

  "No," I said, "you have no romance in your composition."

  "Haven't I," she said, "you don't know; but I'm not so head over ears inlove as you are."

  "Perhaps not," I said, spitefully; "because you have no chance."

  "Pooh!" said Clara. "Why, I might have had Achille long before youcame, if I had liked."

  "Perhaps, miss," I exclaimed, with nothing more than reasonable anger,"the next time you mention that gentleman's name you will prefix theMonsieur."

  "Certainly, ma'am," said Clara, aggravating me with her mock courtesy.

  "And whatever you do," I said, "if you must tease, tell the truth."

  "That was the truth," she replied.

  "Don't be such a wicked story," I exclaimed. "I don't believe it."

  I could not help thinking, after, that in my childish anger I had madeuse of childish language.

  "I don't care what you believe, and what you don't believe," said Clara,coolly; "and I've got--"

  "If you young ladies are not silent this minute," said Miss Furness,outside the door, "I shall be compelled to summon Mrs de Blount."

  As I lay wondering whether she had heard anything of our conversation,and what it was that Clara had got, and whether it was a letter Achillehad sent her before I came, which I did not believe, and did not muchcare if he had, for he had not seen me then--Miss Furness stoodlistening at the door, while Clara would not answer my whisperedquestions, pretending to be offended; and I believe I heard Miss Furnesssniff out in the cold passage just as I dropped off to sleep.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

  MEMORY THE SIXTEENTH--PANGS.

  I meant in the last chapter to have told a great deal more; but so manyof my troubles and misadventures kept creeping in, that I did not get inone-half of what I intended. What pains I took to gain an interview--or, rather, to grant the poor fellow an interview, though it would havebeen to me the reaching of a green oasis in my journey across life'sdesert, when, for a short time, the gentle palm branches would havewaved, as it were, in gentle motion above our heads, while our cheekswould have been fanned by the gentle breath of love.

  Of course there was a terrible to do about the basin in the morning, butit so happened, luckily, that the cat was not beneath our window, butbeyond the Fraulein's; so that in trying to reach it, Clara had thrownthe basin for some distance, and right past our neighbour's window. TheFraulein declared that she had never opened hers; and, poor woman, sheopened her mouth into quite a round O when told that she must havethrown it out. There was nothing to cast suspicion upon us, for it wasmore likely to have been Celia Blang, on the other side of the Fraulein;and so, at last, the matter dropped, and we heard no more of it then.

  But I had such a delightful treat two days after; for while we weregoing down the High Street, Miss Furness must turn faint, and have to behelped into the first house at hand, to sit down and rest, and that wasMrs Jackney's, the milliner's; and there we were, four or five of us atonce, in the little parlour--dear Achille's "apartment meublee," as hecalled it. He was from home, giving lessons somewhere, no doubt; butwhile they were bathing Miss Furness's face, and giving her sniffs ofsalts, and glasses of water to drink, I had such a look round the place,and saw his dear old boots in one corner--the pair, I was sure, he mustput on for ease and comfort of a night; and I was so glad to see them,for, if, instead, I had caught sight of a nice, handsomely worked pairof slippers, they would have given me quite a pang. Now I felt that thetask--no, the pleasure--was left for me.

  Then there was a dear, duck of an old coat hanging behind the door; andsuch nice, funny little holes in the elbows, where he had rested hisarms upon the table while he studied; and there was his pipe, and twobits of cigars, and a few yellow paper-covered books, and one thingwhich did, I must own, make me feel a little uncomfortable, a scarletand black smoking cap--at least, it had been scarlet once, and hadevidently been made by a lady, and, of course, one would have liked tohave known who was the maker.

  At first, in remembrance of her bitter, teasing words, I thought that itmight have been Clara; but it did not look new enough; for the scarletwas fast verging upon the black, and, no doubt, in a short time it wouldhave been impossible to make out the pattern. But I was glad to see it;for it was a hint that Achille would soon require a new one, and I knewwho would make it. However, I did not much care; and taking advantageof there being no one looking, I contrived to drop my handkerchiefinside it; but directly after I trembled, and wanted to have it backagain, for there was my name marked upon it in full, in ink, and I wasafraid that his landlady, Mrs Jackney, might see it.

  I had a good look at her, to see whether I need feel jealous, and found,to my great delight, that I need not; for she was worse in appearancethan Miss Furness, but evidently a very pleasant body; though, all thesame I should not have liked her to find my handkerchief. However,there was no getting it ba
ck; for Miss Furness was now able to sit up,and I was one of the first to be obliged to leave the room, and standagonised in the passage, lest any one should find out what I had done.But nothing was seen, and I heard afterwards from Achille, in one of hisnotes--the best, I think, that he ever wrote to me--how fondly he prizedthe treasure; and I mentally declared that it was not a bad way oflaying out the value of a pocket-handkerchief, and that he should soonhave another.

  It was all so horribly unfortunate. If we made an engagement to meet,something was sure to happen; while, in spite of the time that had nowpassed since the poor Signor left, not one short five minutes had