suddenly changed her ideas. “What’s the matter?” she went on, “I’ve asked you twice. What are you all so excited about?”
“It’s poor little Mumsey,” said Jasper softly.
“Shut up, Japs,” said Roland. “You don’t deserve to be told, Leila. It’s a letter from Mother. She seems in very low spirits and – ”
“She says we must help her to be brave,” interrupted Christabel, “and we don’t know what she means, and – ”
“Chrissie,” interrupted Roland in his turn, but certainly with more right to do so, “be so good as to hold your tongue. The letter is to me, not to you.”
He glanced at it again. “Yes,” he said, “it looks as if there was something the matter.”
“Is that all?” said Leila. “I daresay it’s nothing much. P’raps she said ‘brave’ by mistake for ‘cheerful,’ for I suppose Dads is rather cut up about old uncle, though really we can’t be expected to mind much.”
In this sentiment apparently both Roland and Christabel agreed. Only Jasper murmured half to himself —
“I don’t like nobody to die. He used to pat my head, and he gave me five shillin’s on my birthday”; but to this modest tribute to poor old Uncle Percy’s memory there was no response.
“Oh, I daresay it’s all rubbish,” said Chrissie, having recourse to one of her favourite words. “Any way, it’s no good bothering beforehand. If there’s anything wrong we’ll know it soon enough, when Mums comes back on Monday.”
“Monday,” repeated Leila in surprise. “Is she coming as soon as that?”
“She says she has things to see to for Dads here,” said Roland, “and he’s got to stay up there for a bit.”
“Oh, that’s of course,” said Chrissie. “Fareham’s all ours now, don’t you see? Dads will have to give lots of orders and settle everything. I daresay Mummy is bothered about all she’ll have to do now, with two big houses – though I’m sure she needn’t mind; it’s easy to get plenty of servants.”
For the first time Nurse here ventured on a remark.
“Not so easy as you might think, my dear. Large possessions bring their burdens. Still there are worse troubles than riches, ’specially to those not used to small means.” She sighed, and, in unconscious sympathy, little Jasper murmured again, “Poor Mumsey.”
“You’re always so gloomy, Nurse,” said Chrissie pertly, and though it was far from true, Nurse said nothing in her own defence; she only glanced across the table, saying gently, “Master Roland, won’t you be late?”
The boy jumped up hastily, exclaiming —
“Where’s my book strap? I’m sure I brought it in here.”
“It’s fastened round your books, Roley. I did them,” said a small voice.
“Thank you, Japs; you’re not half a bad sort,” the elder brother returned, and Jasper glowed with pleasure.
Chapter Two
“Spoilt.”
Some half-hour or so after Roland had gone, Lewis, the footman, made his appearance at the nursery door, looking somewhat aggrieved.
“If you please, Miss Leila,” he began; then catching sight of Leila completely absorbed in her book and comfortably established by the fire, he hesitated and turned to Chrissie.
She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by scraps of silk, ribbon, coloured paper, and every article of furniture belonging to the beautiful large dolls’ house standing in a corner of the room.
“It’s Miss Earle, please, Miss Chrissie,” he began again. “She’s been here ever so long, and now she’s been ringing and ringing the schoolroom bell, till I didn’t know what was the matter.”
Chrissie went on calmly with her sortings.
“Well,” she said, “there’s nothing the matter. Tell Miss Earle we’ll come directly,” and with this piece of information Lewis had to content himself.
Chrissie glanced at Leila. Except for Jasper, quietly marshalling an army of tin soldiers at a side-table, the sisters were alone in the room, as Nurse and Fanny were busy in the little girls’ bedroom, the arranging and tidying of which was a much more serious affair than it should have been, and the door of which was shut.
“Leila,” said Chrissie.
No answer.
“Leila,” more emphatically, “Leila!”
“Well?” and Leila’s lovely dreamy dark eyes lifted themselves for a moment.
“Didn’t you hear? You might as well be stone deaf,” Chrissie went on, growing angry. “Miss Earle has sent up to say she’s been waiting hours.”
“Then she told a great story,” replied Leila lazily. “I’ll come in a moment, but I must just stop at a good place.”
“And I must match these colours for the new drawing-room furniture covers,” said Chrissie. “I’ll never get them so nice again, if Fanny muddles them all up in the scrap drawer.”
Just then her glance fell on Jasper, who had left off playing and was standing beside her.
“I’ll ’range them for you, if you like,” he was beginning, but Christabel shook her head.
“You couldn’t,” she said. “It’s something awfully partickler. But I’ll tell you what, Japs – you run down to Miss Earle and say you’ll have your reading first this morning. Tell her I’m having a spring cleaning and all sorts of fusses. You can say I didn’t know it was so late, and we’ll be down before you’ve half finished.”
Jasper moved towards the door, but less readily than usual.
“Hurry up, child, can’t you?” exclaimed Chrissie.
“Mumsey wanted us to be very good,” said the little fellow timidly.
“Well, we’re not being naughty. What does it matter to Miss Earle which lessons come first? She’s only a governess, and I am sure Mums pays her well.”
Her raised tone of voice had caught even Leila’s unhearing ears. She turned sharply.
“Chrissie, I’m shocked at you,” she said. “That’s not like a lady. Suppose we were grown-up and had to be governesses, you wouldn’t like to be spoken to like that.”
“I’m not speaking to her,” muttered Chrissie, rather sullenly, though she was already rather ashamed.
“But Jap might have said it to her,” persisted Leila.
“I wouldn’t,” exclaimed the child indignantly, “in course I wouldn’t.”
“Then go off at once and say what I told you to,” said Christabel, and Jasper obeyed her.
Leila, however, for once was roused. Certain words of her mother’s about remembering that she was the elder and should set a good example to heedless Chrissie, returned to her memory. She shut up her book with a sigh, and stooping, began to gather together some of the dolls’ belongings. But Chrissie pushed her away.
“Leave my things alone,” she said rudely.
“They’re not specially yours,” replied Leila. “The dolls’ house belongs to us both.”
“Much you do for it,” said Chrissie contemptuously. “It’d be all choked with dust like ‘in a dirty old house lived a dirty old man,’ if it depended on you.”
“It’s in a nice mess just now, any way,” remarked Leila. “Well, I’m going down to the schoolroom. You can do as you please.”
The last words were like a spur to impetuous Christabel.
“You shan’t go off and put all the blame