The Girls of St. Wode's by L. T. Meade
CHAPTER XIV
A COCOA PARTY--CONTINUED.
"Are the graces forgotten by the modern woman?" was the subject of thedebate that evening. The opener's speech was made by Miss Frere, whoboldly threw down the gauntlet, reminded the girls assembled before herof some of the perils which lay across their paths, and assured themthat the old graces of politeness, of gentleness, of loving service, ofall that made woman noble and graceful ought to be part of the new lifewhich was opening its doors wider and wider each day for the happymodern girl.
"If in grasping the new we let go of the old, we make a vast mistake,"she continued, her eyes flashing with suppressed fire. "We leave outwhat has made woman noble and great in the past. We shut awaydeliberately a vast influence which would otherwise help to pervade theworld, for a woman can be graceful, pleasant to look at, agreeable, andnot silly. She may be sympathetic without being sentimental. She may be,in the best sense, womanly without sinking into a nonentity."
Miss Frere's words were full of feeling, and Leslie listened to her withan ever-growing admiration. In such tones, with almost similar words,had her own mother often spoken to her. From that moment she believed inMiss Frere, and determined to do her utmost to secure the friendship ofone who looked so noble and spoke so well.
Marjorie and Eileen, however, fidgeted, rumpled up their short locks,and glanced impatiently one at the other.
The opener's speech lasted about twenty minutes; then came the speechfrom the opposition. Marjorie could not help starting as she heard BelleAcheson's well-known voice. Her words were forcible and full of power,put together with much grammatical fluency, and absolutely to the point.She did her utmost to crush Miss Frere, declaring that if woman, themodern woman, who had such a vast work before her, was to spend her lifedevoting herself to the pleasures of the toilet, to society, to mereornamentation, to the thought of what others would think of her, shewould be frittering away her birthright, and would be a despicablecreature.
"There are no two sides," cried Belle. "Woman has got to choose. If shemeans to take up her whole mission, she must drop that which hashindered her in the past; she must cast away her crutch and standalone."
"Hear! hear!" burst from some of the students whose ideas coincided withBelle's.
"For shame!" muttered others.
"Yes," continued Belle, raising her short-sighted eyes and glancing downthe hall to right and left of her. "I repeat once again that there areno two sides. I disagree with Miss Frere in toto. Away with shams! Awaywith shams!"
As Belle said the last words she brought down her hand upon the tablewith a great clap which caused the glass and bottle of water standingupon it to rattle ominously.
There was a stamping of feet when she sat down. Marjorie and Eileenlooked no longer displeased; their eyes were bright and their cheeksflushed.
"Dear old Belle," whispered one of the girls to the other; "it is quiterefreshing to hear her and to see her again."
"How true to her colours she is," said Eileen. "I respect her more thanwords can say."
After the speeches from the opener and the opposition, the debateproceeded with enthusiasm. Girls argued for Miss Frere and against MissFrere; but finally, when the summing-up was over, Miss Frere was able todeclare that she had a small victory on her side. She then thanked thegirls for their polite attention, hoped that those who differed from herwould by and by see matters in another light, and broke up the debate.
It was now past ten o'clock; and Jane, turning to Leslie, reminded herthat she had promised to join the cocoa party in her room.
"And I shall be delighted if your friends will come too," she said. "Oh,I see they have joined Belle Acheson; I cannot help being sorry forthem."
"Is that girl Belle Acheson?" cried Leslie in some astonishment. "I onlymet the Chetwynds to-day, and they were speaking of her."
"Belle is a perfect horror," said Jane. "She leads the extreme party inthe college; but I do not think anyone really likes her. Now, do come tomy room."
Four other girls were already assembled in Miss Heriot's room. They hadprovided themselves with seats, and were lounging about in a veryfree-and-easy manner. Jane proceeded to make cocoa, chatting as she didso. All the talk was intelligent and bright. The girls drew Leslie intotheir midst, holding out affectionate hands of comradeship. They askedher eagerly about her former life, and what she had done in the way ofstudy. When they heard that she had passed her London Matriculation,they congratulated her, and said that she would be sure to do well atSt. Wode's.
"And you will be popular too," said Florrie Smart. "I can see that at aglance. Oh, I don't mean to flatter; but you are not the sort who willgo over to the Belle Acheson side."
"I don't think I shall," replied Leslie gently. "I did not approve ofwhat she said. My mother agrees entirely with Miss Frere."
"And therefore you agree with Miss Frere; is not that so?" said AliceSmart.
"I love my mother more than words can say," replied Leslie. The tearsstarted to her eyes as she spoke. Florrie Smart held out her hand andgave Leslie an affectionate pressure on her arm.
"I quite understand," she said. "Alice and I also have a mother--such adarling."
"But I do wish you had a room to yourself, you poor old thing," saidAlice Smart. "Miss Colchester is a well-meaning creature; but to livewith her--oh, it would be a real trial!"
"And I wonder what Miss Gilroy will do when the other girls call onher," said Jane. "Annie will be so cross; she won't make herself theleast bit agreeable. She is learning-mad; that is the only word I cansay for her."
"I must make the best of it, however matters turn out," said Leslie. "Iam only sorry that Miss Colchester is not a little more tidy; but I daresay I shall get on with her very well."
"And you know you can make your own part of the room as pretty as youplease," said Florrie, speaking again. "You ought to go to Hunt's, inthe Broad, to-morrow; he is the decorator of all our rooms. Some of usspend a good deal over our rooms; others again are more economical. ButHunt will do the thing in any way you wish, and he won't send in theaccount until the end of term. That latter fact is of importance to someof us, I can tell you."
As Florrie said the last words she rose.
"I am too sleepy to stay up another moment," she said, "fascinating asyour cocoa-parties always are, Janie; but I was out so long thisafternoon that I am half-dead with sleep."
"And I, too, am very sleepy," said Alice, rising. "Janie, that cocoa wasexcellent. Ta-ta; sleep well."
The girls nodded to Leslie, then to Jane Heriot, and the next momentLeslie was also bidding Miss Heriot good-night. She ran down thecorridor to her own room. As she approached the door, a furious sound ofsomeone pacing up and down fell on her ears. She felt glad that she hadsecured the key. She opened the door quickly, and then saw Annie, withher red hair flying wildly about her face and shoulders, pacing up anddown the room. Annie was talking aloud with great force.
"What can be the matter?" said Leslie as she entered.
"Oh, is that you, my new roomfellow? Pray don't disturb me. I have justreached the bottom of a problem; but my brain nearly went in the effort.I see it at last; it is magnificent. I do wish you were mathematical;you could rejoice with me."
Leslie glanced at her with a smile.
"I don't know anything whatever about mathematics," she said; "but, atleast, I won't disturb you."
She moved softly to her own end, sat down on a corner of her sofa-bed,and taking up her Bible read a verse or two before she went to bed. Thefamiliar words quieted her overexcited heart. She thought of her motherat home, of Llewellyn, and of the younger children; and for the firsttime a rush of real loneliness visited her.
"But I won't give way to it," she said to herself. "Strange as it all isat the present moment, I am certain I shall find it delightful by andby. I intend to make the very best of everything. Poor AnnieColchester--has she a chance to sleep with that terrible mentalexcitement? I only trust I shan't go mad over literature in the way
Annie, having worn off some of her surplus excitement, had again sunkdown by her desk; her face was buried in her hands, and she was sighingin a feeble sort of fashion. Leslie went up and touched her on hershoulder.
"You ought to go to bed," she said; "you are absolutely weary from allthat work."
"To bed?" said Annie. "Just feel my brow." She caught hold of Leslie'sslim hand and held it to her forehead.
"It does burn awfully," said Leslie. "You really ought not to work toohard."
"But I must; you can never guess what depends on my work. There, I oughtnot to confide in a new girl and on the first night."
"Tell me anything that will comfort you," said Leslie in a voice full ofsympathy. "I quite understand home life, if it is that you allude to."
"I don't. I never knew home life, and I cannot possibly tell youto-night, nor, perhaps, ever; but I am willing to say this much: Thereis a great, a terrible reason why I must succeed. If I take honors inmathematics all will be well, if not---- Don't ask me any more, MissGilroy."
"Well, at least, let me help you to go to bed," said Leslie.
"To bed, with this head of mine! It is almost on fire, and my feet arelike ice. I could not possibly sleep. I often lie awake until morning.When matters are very bad, I rise and pace the floor. You won't mind,will you, if you hear me pacing between two and four, because I do somost nights?"
"I am sorry," said Leslie, trying to smother her own feelings ofannoyance. "I mean I am sorry on your account; but you must go to bednow. I cannot share your room and not feel a certain amount ofresponsibility with regard to you. I will rub your feet and make themwarm if you will let me, and if I put a handkerchief, wrung out ofwater, to your head the heat will soon leave it. Llewellyn was like thatonce or twice, and I always got him to sleep in that fashion. He fellasleep while I was rubbing. Oh, it is so soothing! Do let me try it."
"You are a kind-hearted creature; but who in the world is Llewellyn?"
"My brother, and the darling of my heart."
"Your brother, the darling of your heart," echoed Annie. A queerexpression filled her eyes; they flashed with sudden fire. She startedto her feet.
"I am glad you are my roomfellow," she said impulsively. "I feel that byand by we shall be friends. Do give me your hand; put it on my forehead.It is true that you have a soothing touch."
"The thing to remember just now," said Leslie, speaking as brightly asshe could, "is that it is almost twelve o'clock. It is very wrong indeedof you to be up so late; and when did you eat anything last? I happenedto notice that you scarcely touched your dinner."
"When did I eat? I can never eat when my brain is on fire."
"Have you nothing in the room now--biscuits, or anything of that sort?"
"I have a dim sort of idea that a tin of very stale biscuits standsbehind that rubbish on the top of the chest of drawers."
"Stale as they are, they will be better than nothing. You must eat one.I shall get something better for you to-morrow. I am sure that I havebeen sent to this room to help you a little. Now, do take off yourthings, and get into bed. Try to remember that if you become seriouslyill you won't be able to help the person you mean to help; you won't getyour honors after all."
"Are you certain? How seriously you speak!"
"Yes, I am quite certain. A sick brain never gets anything really worthhaving. My mother has told me that."
"Your mother; but she must be a middle-aged woman."
"I do not see what that has to do with it; and at any rate she is only alittle over forty."
"Oh, she is more than middle-aged. She belongs to the dead and gonewoman, who never did anything worth speaking of in her life."
"You are vastly mistaken," said Leslie, with spirit. "You would not saythat if you knew her. My mother is a journalist, and makes a very goodincome with her work. I don't think anyone could write a better leaderthan she, and as to her pars., they are quite the best the _Grapho_ everreceives."
"Does your mother write for the _Grapho_?"
"Yes, and for several other leading papers. She is on the staff of the_Daily Post_."
"You astound me. She must be a well-informed woman."
"She does know a few things," said Leslie, trying to suppress a smile."Now, please get into bed; for, if you are not tired, I am."
"Well, just to please you, and as it is your first night. You are a nicecreature. I saw that the moment you entered the room, and I am trulysorry I am your roomfellow, for I know I shall worry you terribly. I mayas well tell you frankly that annoy you I shall, for I cannot possiblyhelp myself. If I get mathematics on the brain I always go the wholelength, and that means pacing the floor and mumbling problems to myself,sometimes for hours. As to tidiness, I have known myself to fling a bookfrom one end of the room to the other in a fit of excitement. I onlytrust none of my books may hit you by mistake."
"I echo that wish," said Leslie; "but, as I have got a screen, I shallput it round my bed now that you have warned me. Please get into yourown bed now, for I do not mean to sleep until I see you comfortable, andI am dead tired."
Annie opened her red-brown eyes very slowly, and fixed them on Leslie'sface.
"To oblige you, I'll do what you wish," she said.
She tumbled into bed, did not attempt to say her prayers, flung her headon the pillow, and closed her eyes.
"How my temples do beat," she said with a sort of a sob, "and my legsare icy up to my knees, and----"
"Drink this cold water to begin with," said Leslie. "You are under mycare now, and must submit to my directions."
She brought a glass of ice-cold water, and held it to Annie's lips.
"Oh, thank you; I was so terribly thirsty!" Annie drained the glass offand returned it to her companion.
"You are good," she repeated. She flung her head down again on herpillow.
Leslie got out one of her own handkerchiefs, wrung it out of cold water,and laid it upon Annie's brow. Then kneeling down, she softly unfastenedthe bedclothes, and began to rub the girl's feet. She did this softlyand rhythmically, as she had done often and often for Llewellyn when hewas in his fits of literary despair. By slow degrees her efforts tookeffect; Annie's groans grew less, her eyes closed, and in half an hourshe was asleep.
"Poor thing!" thought Leslie. "I shall see to her having a nice mealto-morrow evening. I shall make her give me some of her money to get theneedful things with. We will have our own spirit-stove and a saucepan,and I will buy milk and cocoa. When she has taken something hot, whichwill be much better than cold water, and goes to bed really warm, shewill sleep. I only trust she won't wake between two and four o'clock,for I am dead tired."
Remembering Annie's warning, Leslie put the screen round her bed, nexttumbled in; thought that the bed with the broken spring was anything butcomfortable, but then reflected that she was too tired to care. She wasat St. Wode's; the dream of her life was fulfilled, and even AnnieColchester could not keep her awake.