CHAPTER III

TRIALS

Ellice Medhurst was full of mystery and excitement as she dragged Bob towards the staircase, anxious to escape observation, leading him to the seclusion of the schoolroom, where they could talk undisturbedly of the new inmate of Oaklands, who had arrived there since Bob's last week-end at home.

"Oh, I say, I _do_ detest her," said Ellice, as she sprang on to the table, placing her feet upon a chair and her face in her hands supported by her arms, her elbows resting upon her knees.

"She _looks_ pretty decent," remarked Bob; "she is a sight better than the one who has just gone. I say, what a shock I gave _her_, didn't I? She howled like a hyena."

A shout of laughter rippled from his small sister as a memory, mutually considered humorous, roused this expression of mirth.

"I can see her _now_ dancing about, and shrieking, 'Help!--Help!--Burglars!' as if she was being killed," continued Bob, spluttering with amusement.

"And when--you--came--and offered to call father," put in Ellice--"saying, 'What's all this? Whatever is the matter?' I just rushed back into my room and buried my head in the pillows for fear she'd hear me laughing, and guess. Just fancy, Bob, if she had? Wouldn't daddy have been angry?" And as she finished, a more sober expression came upon her face as she pictured unpleasant possibilities.

"If you don't act the little idiot by laughing, no one will guess," answered the boy.

"I won't--I promise I won't," she answered.

"But I say, do you _want_ this one to go?" continued Bob.

"Of course I do. I don't mean to have a governess at all; I said I wouldn't, and I _won't_."

"Well, you are a bit of a fool. Nice dunce you'll be when you grow up," came the brotherly response.

"I shan't," flashed Ellice. "I can read all right, and when I get older I'll just study, myself. What's the use of all the silly old arithmetic and stuff?"

"Very well, only don't blame me when you _are_ grown up," answered Bob loftily.

"As if I should. Come on; let's fix things," and, creeping softly out on to the landing, and reconnoitring on the staircase, the two stole up to Miss Woodford's room.

Ellice kept guard outside, while Bob evidently fixed matters to their mutual satisfaction. It only took a few moments, and the culprits were back again in their own quarters, their plans duly arranged.

Ellice was wild with delight at the prospect of anticipated fun, as she called it; but in the back of Bob's head there was a little sense of doubt and discomfort.

"She seemed so jolly decent," he muttered to himself; "I hope she won't be awfully frightened. I think you are a little beast to do it to her, Ellice."

"Oh, you don't know her like I do! She was horrid to me, and I'll just pay her out," replied the child.

"All right then. Now shut up about it till to-night."

With this the conspirators went down, ready to behave in an exemplary fashion at tea-time, to disarm suspicion.

Margaret was tired that night in spite of her rest in the afternoon; it was a heavy, slumbrous day, thunder still threatened, and the atmosphere seemed waiting for the refreshment of a cool breeze which might, it was hoped, spring up in the night. It seemed too hot to sleep, and it was quite a long time before Morpheus closed Margaret's lids, and led her into the land of dreams.

It was still dark when she was roused into semi-consciousness by something which at first her senses hardly grasped, then, as full wakefulness came to her, she became cognisant of a soft scraping noise in her room, as if someone might be in her vicinity. She was startled for a few moments, and her heart quickened its beating, as now, fully alert, she listened intently, anxious to discover the reason of the unusual sounds.

This house had held many surprises for her, and she was not quite satisfied in her own mind as to the kind of post she had accepted; but Margaret Woodford was no coward, and therefore she never dreamt of screaming, or getting into a panic, although the noise, which continued at intervals, seemed to come from the ground near her, and each moment to become more distinct.

Suddenly her tension ceased; she had caught the sound of muffled voices outside her room, and in an instant she realised the circumstances. Perhaps her face at that moment would have surprised the culprits outside if they could have seen the hot indignation which surged into it. She waited a little until it died down and she felt calmer, and then, as quietly and stealthily as the enemy, she crept out of bed, and, without lighting the gas, donned her dressing-gown, and, ignoring further preparation, flung the door wide open!

"What are you children doing here?" she asked quietly.

There was the instant flight of a small figure in white, and then Bob, who was stooping down to the floor jerking a string, the end of which issued from under the rug on the landing--Bob, with all the blood in his body seeming to be rushing to his head, rose to his feet.

"Oh, you've tied that to a can under my bed, I suppose?" said Miss Woodford witheringly--"hoping to frighten me? And _this_ is the way you treat lady visitors to your home? And you call yourself a _gentleman_, I presume?" The tones were scathing--how scathing Margaret scarcely realised herself. "And with childish tricks of this kind," she continued, "you encourage your silly little sister in insubordination."

The door of Ellice's room stood open, and she was listening to every word--"_silly little sister_." She writhed as she heard the epithet applied to herself; she had felt so clever and important just before, and now she dived under the clothes, cringing with mortification. The sarcastic contempt in Miss Woodford's voice was far worse than the severest punishment Bob had ever endured, and he felt covered with confusion and disgust at his invidious position.

"Go--go to your bedroom at once," finished Margaret, "and see that you don't cause any further trouble."

At this moment Mr. Medhurst opened his door, and inquired if anything was the matter. "Now I shall get it," thought Bob to himself; but he was mistaken. Margaret had spoken in low tones up to now, being most anxious the master of the house should not be disturbed. She was fighting her own battle in her own way, and did not need any court of appeal at present.

"Bob and I both heard a slight noise, Mr. Medhurst," she answered. "But it seems quiet enough now. I don't think there is anything the matter really."

"Cats, perhaps," he answered, smiling; "they do come up these stairs at night sometimes. You are not nervous, I hope, Miss Woodford?"

"Not in the least," she answered. "I think we can all go to bed again satisfied."

"Ah, that's sensible," he replied, adding, as he was in the act of closing his door, "I am glad you came down to reassure Miss Woodford, Bob. I expect you remembered Miss Warner was alarmed in the same way."

Margaret stole a glance at the boy, but he would not raise his eyes to hers, but instead he turned swiftly and fled up to his room. She smiled to herself as she closed her door, then with a little sigh of weariness returned to her slumbers.