CHAPTER V

TWO HIGHWAYMEN

IT was a wet afternoon. Dawn arrived in the nursery at three o'clock, and shook the rain off his curls and overcoat like a Newfoundland dog.

"I told dad I was coming along to cheer you two up. I thought it would be a good day for hide and seek indoors."

"No," said Puggy promptly, "we're going up to the turret room. It has been cleaned out for us, and we're going to take any furniture up that we like."

Dawn cut a caper.

"I'll help you to pick and choose," he said. "Shall we have any pictures from this room?"

"Ah," said Christina, hurriedly going to her toy cupboard and producing a brown paper parcel. "You'll never guess what this is! Father gave it to me this morning. He had it framed for me, and it's our motto, and I'm going to hang it up on our wall up there. It means the same as that!"

She pointed to her piece of paper still pinned to the nursery wall with the words "Fear dwells not here!"

Dawn looked at it attentively.

"Well," he said, thumping his chest vigorously. "I can say 'Fear dwells not here!' but you can't, Tina. You're such a one for being frightened!"

"No," said Christina humbly, "I shall always be frightened inside me, I'm afraid, but I'm trying not to be frightened outside and I'm getting better."

"Come on and don't gas so!" exclaimed Puggy.

And all three children made their way to the turret door.

The stone stairs were steep and wound round and round. Dawn, who was ahead of the other two, suddenly sat down and had an inspiration.

"Listen!" he said. "This is just like the steps the pilgrims go up on their knees for their sins. Wasn't it Martin Luther who was crawling up one day when he was trying to be good? Some chap like that, I know, Aunt Rachael read to me about him. Let's try it. We're half-way up now, but it doesn't matter, we'll do the rest of the steps on our knees, it's so good to do penance sometimes!"

"But won't it be difficult?" asked Christina doubtfully.

"It'll be as easy as pat," said Puggy, "see me do it!"

But he found it more awkward than he thought. In a few minutes Dawn gave up trying it.

"It's too slow!" he said. "Besides I haven't been wicked enough to-day to do penance! It's splendid for you, Tina. You ought to do penance whenever you feel in a funk, you'd soon cure yourself."

"I'm not going to give up once I'm started," said Puggy, puffing and panting as he struggled on. "You never do anything unless it's easy, Dawn!"

Christina struggled on also, until she looked down at her knees.

"I believe a hole is coming in my stocking," she asserted.

"It hurts me dreadfully. I wish I had on knickerbockers like you. I shall give up!"

Puggy was the only one, who finished his self-appointed task.

"There!" he said. "I'm jolly glad that's done. And I shan't try it again. Now for our den!"

It was a dear little room with windows all round it. There was a cupboard, chair and table: on the wall hung a rusty sword.

Puggy took it down and brandished it in the air. "This will keep off robbers and spies, Tina! We'll cut their heads off directly they appear."

"You must have a password," suggested Dawn; "or one dark night you might out off a friend's head by mistake."

"We'll have 'Come if you dare.' We'll always keep the door locked, and only us three will know what it is, so no one else will ever be let in."

"Supposing if Nurse were to come up," suggested Christina.

"She would be a spy, so we should cut her head off."

"No, but really I mean."

"Well, we shouldn't unlock to her!"

"And father and mother!"

"Oh, they wouldn't come. We should have to be true to our rights. We couldn't let them in. Don't you go supposing things, that's so like a girl!"

Christina subsided. She went and stood at the window.

"I can see Dawn's house," she remarked; "and such a long way! It looks so small. Come and look."

"Why!" said Dawn. "You'll be able to signal to me. We'll have three flags like the railway men have. If you hang out a red flag, it'll mean stop away. You must never put that out unless you're both out for the day and then I shan't come over. The green flag you must hang out when you're up here by yourself, Puggy, and the white when Tina is, and when you're both here you must hang out the two flags!"

"And if we want you in a great hurry?" asked Christina.

"We'll have a fourth flag," asserted Puggy; "it must be blue, and it will mean a call to arms. You'll have to make the flags, Tina, and they must be ready to-morrow."

"But where shall I get the stuff? I shall ask Nurse to help me. Oh, I think I shall like this game very much!"

The little girl's eyes shone with excitement.

"And now let us light the fire," suggested Dawn.

"What lovely things we can cook! Toffee and toast and roasted chestnuts. We'll give parties sometimes, and dad and Miss Bertha shall come!"

It was the beginning of a delightful time to Christina. Never in all her life had she had such freedom.

From being confined to the four walls of her nursery, she now had the run of the whole house and grounds. Nurse rarely saw her except at meal times and for occasional walks. Puggy was considered quite old enough to take her off with him anywhere.

"I want her to be more independent," said her stepmother.

And Christina began to feel that her stepmother's reign was on the whole a pleasant one.

But upon the day of her nurse's departure, all her old doubts and fears came bank.

Connie was promoted to be her maid, and on the following day, her governess was to arrive. Poor little Christina clung to her nurse as if she could never let her go.

"What shall I do when you're gone!" she cried again and again, and Nurse did not reassure her, for she felt aggrieved by her dismissal.

Puggy came into the nursery and found Christina sitting on the floor in floods of tears.

"I didn't know you were a cry-baby!" he remarked scornfully.

Christina looked up, the picture of woe.

"Nurse has gone, and I can't bear to be without her."

"A good riddance. She wouldn't let me bring my football in here. Now I shall do it. I say, dry up, Tina, and I tell you what we'll do, we'll dress up in sheets and go up to our den, and come down and pop out upon the maids like ghosts. They'll be awfully frightened."

"No," said Christina, drying her eyes. "I couldn't pretend to be a ghost. I'm too frightened of them. And I wouldn't like to frighten other people."

"Well, we'll have a game of cricket in the passage. Come on! And when your governess comes to-morrow, let me see her first. I'll tell her what sort we mean her to be."

"What sort?" asked Christina, cheering up. She had unbounded faith in Puggy's talent for managing. "What ought a governess to be like, Puggy?"

"Very short and quick at lessons, and then take herself off for the rest of the day and leave us alone. I'll tell her! What time is she coming to-morrow? I think I'll meet her at the station. I'll take Dawn with me. You keep quiet. I'll tell her she's not to bully you."

And accordingly the next day, having discovered that the brougham was going to the station at four o'clock, Puggy and Dawn laid their plans.

Miss Loder arrived punctually. She was quite young, and was looking forward to her stay at Bracken Towers. She had come from London, and though it was winter time, she rejoiced in every bit of the country through which she passed. As she settled herself back in the comfortable carriage and noted the mossy banked lanes and the wooded hills stretching up and down on either side she drew a long breath of relief.

"No more smuts and fog, but sweet, pure country air. Oh, I am glad I came."

The carriage rolled on rapidly. Suddenly the coachman pulled up. There was evidently a gate to be opened or some impediment in the way. Miss Loder heard some altercation going on.

"Now, Master John, who gave you the key? Unlock the gate!"

"Is she inside? You're held up by highwaymen! We're loaded. You daren't touch us!"

The next moment a boy stood on either side of the carriage, and black paper masks were over their faces.

Miss Loder looked as if she enjoyed the situation.

"Is it a question of 'money or your life'?" she asked quietly, as each boy held a toy pistol through the carriage window.

"We don't want your money," said one of them sternly, "but your word, and it must be your word of honour!"

"No," said the other boy excitedly, "you forget! It's her signature, we've put it down in writing. You have the paper."

"We want both!" said the first speaker. He produced a paper.

Miss Loder took it out of his hand and read the following in round schoolboy's writing:

"I, the governess of Christina Douglas, do promise on my solemn word of honour that I shall not interfere with her in playtime. I promise to leave John Durward and Avril O'Flagherty entirely alone as they are not my pupils, but boys of spirit who will not be ruled by a woman. I promise to get the lessons over quickly and disappear directly they are done. I promise never to keep Christina indoors when lessons are over unless she wants to stay. And I sign myself here, and put my hand and seal to it."

She looked up after she had read it.

"It's rather clever," she remarked, smiling; "but I'm afraid it's not legal."

"You've got to sign it, or you'll stay here all night!"

The coachman began to get impatient.

"Master John, unlock this gate at once. It's a good five mile round. I'll report you to the Squire."

Miss Loder opened her travelling-bag and took out a sheet of paper.

"I'll sign what I think will meet the case, and submit it for your approval," she said quietly.

The boys looked across at each other and waited. Then when the paper was handed to Puggy, he read it aloud.

"I promise to be a friend as well as a governess to Christina Maclahan and help her to enjoy her playtime, not hinder it. As Avril O'Flagherty and John Durward are not my pupils, I shall have nothing to say to them, unless they interfere with my pupil or with me. And hereto I set my hand.

"KATE LODER."

"Hum!" remarked Puggy, looking at her suspiciously. "This sounds well, but I don't think it is enough."

"Show it to me!" demanded Dawn.

The paper was handed across to him, and the old coachman at the same time sent his whip round Puggy's legs. The boys saw their game was up. They retreated with dignity.

"We shall keep this paper and hold you to it."

Then the gate was unlocked, and with a loud war-whoop they scampered off, and left Miss Loder to continue her drive in peace.

Christina meanwhile was awaiting her governess' arrival in fear and trembling.

She sat in the nursery in her little rocking-chair by the fire, conjuring up visions of stern, spectacled, grey-haired women. She longed to fly to some one for comfort, but she felt that her stepmother would laugh at her, and was not sure about her father. She looked up at her paper on the wall:

"Fear dwells not here."

Then she said over her text.

And then she began wondering where the boys were, and whether they had really gone to the station to meet her governess.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not hear the door open until her stepmother's brisk voice made her start from her chair in trembling confusion.

"Here is your pupil, Miss Loder. She looks scared to death at the sight of us! Her nurse has ruined her by coddling. I want her turned into a healthy little romp, do you think you can do it?"

"I can try."

Miss Loder came forward and took Christina's small, cold hands in hers.

"You mustn't be frightened of me, dear. Why, I never expected to see such a tiny fragile mite. I daresay you have been picturing what I should be; shall I tell you what I thought you would be like?"

Mrs. Maclahan had wisely disappeared.

Miss Loder sat down by the fire, and took Christina on her lap.

"I have had an adventure," she continued, trying to put the child at ease, for she was literally shaking from head to foot. "And after it was over, I said to myself, 'I know what Christina will be like! She is Scotch, so she will have red hair flying over her shoulders in wildest confusion; she will be a large fat girl, with long legs and short frocks: a perfect tomboy!' Wasn't that a funny picture I drew of you?"

Christina began to smile.

Miss Loder continued:

"I don't wonder at my adventure now. Fancy! Two highwaymen with black masks and pistols stopped the carriage, and wouldn't let me come on until I had promised to be kind to you!"

"Oh!" gasped Christina. "Who were they? Weren't you dreadfully frightened?"

"I tried not to be. I was just hoping that my small pupil would be kind to me, so it was funny, wasn't it?"

"Were they big men?"

"Rather little men. One had curls."

Christina's face was a study. Terror, amazement and interest were followed by a dawning smile of comprehension.

"Do you think," she said, almost in a whisper, "that they were boys?"

Miss Loder whispered back:

"I think they were."

And then she and her small pupil laughed merrily, until Christina remembered to be shocked.

"How could they dare to do it?" she exclaimed.

"Well," said Miss Loder; "now I have seen you, I understand. You are so little to be bullied. Shall we be good friends, Christina? Will you give me a kiss, dear, and believe that I mean to be kind to you?"

Christina responded very quickly. She put her arms round Miss Loder's neck.

"I love you," she said, and her late fears fled away, never to return.

When tea was on the table half an hour later, Puggy marched in very independently.

"Good evening!" he said, as if he had never seen Miss Loder before. "I have tea with Christina, because I don't care for drawing-room tea. The bread and butter is too thin, and there's not enough jam, and grown-up people are so stupid!"

"Good evening," said Miss Loder politely. "I have been telling Christina of an adventure I had on the way here this afternoon. I am afraid you have some bad characters about."

Puggy sat down, and looked at her suspiciously.

"Have we?" he said, trying to speak unconcernedly, but getting rather red in the face.

"These were two little ragamuffins with blacked faces who pretended to be highwaymen. I'm afraid they got a whipping, but I couldn't help liking them, for they were evidently very fond of Christina. I suppose she has a great many friends? I eased their minds by promising to be good to her, but I am wondering who they were. Do you know?"

Puggy stared at her in silence.

"If I did, I wouldn't tell you," he remarked at length.

Miss Loder did not say any more. She chatted to Christina about all kinds of things, and Puggy ate his tea in silence. This new governess puzzled him greatly, he was almost—just a tiny bit—afraid of her.