and after Brenda had said one or two words tohim, quite enough to turn his head, he was deputed to his rightful placeby Fanchon's side, who racked her brains in her vain endeavour to say aword to him at all, and would have figuratively stuck in the mudaltogether, but for his loud exclamation of delight when he saw herbracelet.
"I _say_!" exclaimed the youth, "what an elegant article--is it real?"
"Real!" said Fanchon, facing him with her little eyes flashing. "It'seighteen carat."
"Oh, is it?" said Joe. "I see. I never touched eighteen carat in mylife--more likely to be nine carat."
He winked hard at Fanchon as he spoke. Fanchon, in her rage, took thebracelet off and asked him to examine the hall-mark under the nextlamp-post, which he accordingly proceeded to do. He discovered that shewas right and handed it back to her with great respect. "How did youcome by it?" was his next enquiry. "It is a present--I mustn't say howI came by it."
"Eighteen carat gold,"--murmured Joe Burbery. "Eighteen carat, and avery large and specially fine turquoise. Why, there's a thingadvertised for exactly like that. I remember it quite well; I saw it inthe _Standard_ and the _Morning Post_ and even in some of the localpapers here--a bangle just like this which was lost--supposed to be lostin a railway carriage. How funny that you should have one which soexactly answers to the description!"
"It is, isn't it?" said Fanchon, laughing with the utmost unsuspicion."Well," she continued, "I am glad mine isn't lost; I am frightfullyproud of it; I shall love it all my days; I don't mean ever to part fromit. Even if I get a very rich husband some day, and he gives me lots ofjewellery, I will always keep my beautiful bangle. Brenda says that itis the sort you need never be ashamed of."
"It is that," admitted Joe. "So _she_ admires it--_she_ knows a goodthing when she sees it, doesn't she?"
"Oh, yes--she is very clever--"
"And a stunner herself, ain't she now?" said Joe Burbery.
"I suppose so," replied Fanchon, who did not feel interested in praisesof Brenda from the first young man who had come into her life. He oughtto be too much devoted to her and her most elegant bangle.
The walk came to an end presently. It was necessary in Mrs Dawson'sestablishment for the young ladies to come in not later than half-pastten, and at that hour the two girls appeared in the hall. Mrs Dawsonherself was waiting for them. As she proceeded to lock and chain thefront door, she also saw the flash of the bangle on Fanchon's wrist.She immediately exclaimed at its beauty, and asked to have a nearer viewof it.
"Why, I say," she cried, "what a truly elegant thing! Does it belong toyou, Miss Amberley?"
"Yes," replied Fanchon. "It was given to me by a great friend."
Here she looked meaningly at Brenda.
"Come up to bed, Fanchon, do!" said Brenda. "You look dead tired andwon't appear at your best to-morrow at the Castle. Good-night, MrsDawson." Mrs Dawson said nothing further, but she thought for a minuteor two and then went into her private sitting-room and opened a_Standard_ of a few days old and read a certain advertisement in itwithout any comment. After a time, she put the _Standard_ carefullyaway and went up to her own room, for she had doubtless earned hernight's repose.
As they were going upstairs, Brenda said in a somewhat fretful voice:
"Fanchon--I do wish you would not let people think that _I_ gave youthat bangle."
"But why should you not let them think it?" asked the astonished girl.
"Well--of course people couldn't expect a governess like me to give yousuch really expensive things."
"Oh--but they don't know what a darling you are," said Fanchon,springing suddenly on Brenda with the sort of affection of a bear's cub,and crushing that young lady's immaculate evening toilet.
Now, Brenda was decidedly cross because Harry Jordan had not been aspointed as usual in his remarks, and she disliked--she could scarcelytell why--the expression in Mrs Dawson's eyes when they had rested onthe bangle. She was, therefore, not at all prepared for Fanchon's roughcaress, nor for Fanchon's next words.
"I do wonder if you would be such a duck of a thing as to let me wearthe bangle at Castle Beverley to-morrow."
"Wear it there!" cried Brenda, real terror for a minute seizing her."Of course not--could anything be more unsuitable! You must appear atCastle Beverley as the innocent little girl you are. You must not thinkof jewellery. You mustn't allude to it, nor to your evening walks, norto anything we do when you and I are enjoying ourselves together. Come,Fanchon, give me the bangle; I allowed you to wear it to-night as agreat treat; but I want to put it away."
Fanchon looked decidedly cross.
"I should _so_ like to wear it to-morrow," she said, "and I can't makeout why you won't let me. If it is my bangle, mayn't I wear it when Ilike?"
"But it _isn't_ your bangle--at least at present, and it won't be yoursever if you make a fuss. Come, Fanchon, do you want to quarrel with me?and oh--I am so tired! My dear child, give it here--I will take it."Brenda snatched the bangle from her pupil's wrist. "It would be such apity," she said, "if anything destroyed our fun--and any one could seewith half an eye that Mr Burbery was greatly struck with you. Harrytold me as much. Mr Burbery is going to be exceedingly rich some day;he also is in the mercantile world: there's no other world worthconsidering, I can tell you that, Fanchon."
"He knows a lot about bangles, anyhow," said Fanchon, "for he wasgreatly struck with mine; indeed, I was thankful he was, for I couldn'tutter a word, and didn't know from Adam what to say until he began totalk of it. And he said--oh, Brenda! that there is one advertised forin all the papers just like mine. I told him I wasn't a bit surprised,for mine was so very beautiful."
Brenda's heart sank down to her very boots. Her rosy, radiant faceturned white.
"There!" she exclaimed, "I see you are nothing whatever but a gossip. Idon't know when I will be able to let you have the bangle again. Butnow let's come to bed, and let's tread softly--we can manage without alight of course; it wouldn't do to wake Josephine and Nina."
So the girls slipped into the darkened, hot bedroom and presently gotinto bed, Fanchon to sleep and dream of Joe Burbery and the lovelybangle, and the sad pity it was that she could not display its charmsto-morrow--but Brenda to lie awake; fear--dull dreadful fear tapping ather heart.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
A SCRUMPTIOUS DAY.
Notwithstanding that fear, however, on the following morning the prettygoverness looked gay enough. They were to have a delightful day; therewas no real danger; no one could prove in all the world that the banglewas not her own, or at least, her pupil's. But she would not allowFanchon to wear it again. She must not be seen in it, that was plain.As the horrid, odious thing was being advertised for, it was highlydangerous that Fanchon should wear it. Brenda could not enough regrether imprudence in having allowed her pupil to appear in it on theprevious night. But how could she guess that that uninteresting youth,Joe Burbery, would have noticed it and seen the advertisement--theadvertisement! oh, how perfectly dreadful! Why did rich people botherwhen they lost such a simple thing as a little gold bangle with a bluestone in it? Why could not they allow poor folks to have their chances?And Joe Burbery had seen--had seen--this horrible advertisement! Well,of course that meant nothing at all. Brenda could not guess that a farworse enemy in the shape of Mrs Dawson had also observed it. All shecould do at present was to lock the bangle carefully up in one of thedrawers of the humble little chest of drawers which the four had toshare between them in their horrible hot bedroom.
She whispered a word to Fanchon not to breathe the subject of the bangleat the Castle, promising her as a reward that it should be hersabsolutely, all the sooner. She then proceeded to make a most carefultoilet herself and to superintend those of her pupils. She was reallyanxious that the three little Amberleys should look their best on thisoccasion. So she took their red hair out of the tight plaits in whichthey generally wore it, and combed it out and caused it to ripple downtheir backs.
This delighted Fanchon, and also Josephine, but Nina was greatlybothered by the heat of her thick fleece of red hair and would haveinfinitely preferred its being plaited tightly and tied with the oldbrown ribbon which generally adorned it. Nevertheless, when Brendaassured her that she was most elegant and altogether superior to mostgirls in her appearance, she decided to endure the unwonted heat.
A carriage from the neighbouring livery stables was sent for, and thethree drove off in state to Castle Beverley, just in time to arrive onthe scene between twelve and one o'clock; and Mrs Dawson, Miss