Jane said nothing, but that night when she lay down in her little bed in
the third form dormitory, her thoughts kept her awake. She did not much
like the task she had undertaken. Harriet certainly was a tyrannical
friend, and Harriet was growing less good each minute. Now that
naughtiness was coming so terribly to the fore, poor little Jane felt in
her heart of hearts that she did not enjoy it. It was all very well to
burst out laughing during lessons and to play a practical joke on
another girl, and to hide behind doors and spring out upon a frightened
servant or a still more timid schoolfellow, and it was delicious to make
apple-pie beds and to set booby traps and all those sort of things, but
this sort of naughtiness, somehow, was different.
Jane had been impressed by Mrs Burton's words:--"You must be unselfish,
and forbearing, and thoughtful for others, and all these attributes will
be good for your character, and will help you to be true women
by-and-by." Above all, Jane was struck with what Mrs Burton had said
about these things being better than beauty, or riches, or talent, for
these things were the best of all, and would stay with a girl and would
help her through her life, and--and--help her after death. Jane was
very frightened of death. The thought of it came to her sometimes in
the middle of the night, but she always pushed it out of sight. Now,
however, Mrs Burton spoke of something which would help her even after
that had taken place. She shivered in her little bed. She did not at
all like the task which was put upon her.
Meanwhile, things went apparently well in the school. Robina was as
bright as ever on the next morning, and just as clever over her lessons,
and just as apparently indifferent to her fellow-pupils. She had to all
appearance forgotten the words she said to Harriet on the previous
night. She talked cheerfully to Harriet. Harriet was forced to reply
in the same tone. Afterwards the girls played in the garden, as they
had done on the day before; but Harriet and Jane did not meet as they
had previously arranged in the paddock. It was not necessary to meet,
they both felt, for something had occurred since then, and their course
was in a measure plain. Curly Pate was with them, too, and so were the
other little children. The only one who was absent was Frederica; she
and Ralph were not to be seen.
Late that night Frederica came up to the dormitory, and went to bed as
usual. All the others clustered round her.
"Well--well," they said, "could you manage? Aren't you dead tired?
What sort is he, really? Oh, do say if you think you have any chance of
getting the pony!"
"I can say nothing--it wouldn't be fair," said Frederica. "Mrs Burton
doesn't wish any one of the girls on her trial to help the others by
saying things. I have had a good day, I think, and am tired, and should
like to go to sleep. Patience, you are to go to Ralph's nursery at
seven o'clock to-morrow morning."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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