Betty Vivian Part 25

CHAPTER XIII

A SPOKE IN HER WHEEL

If Betty Vivian really wished to keep her miserable secret, she had done wisely in removing the little packet from its shelter in the trunk of the old oak-tree; for of course Sibyl remembered it in the night, although Betty's wonderful story had carried her thoughts far away from such trivial matters for the time being. Nevertheless, when she awoke in the night, and thought of the fairies in the heather, and of the girl lying in the snow-bed, she thought also of Betty standing by the stump of a tree and removing something from within, looking at it, and putting it back again.

Sibyl, therefore, took the earliest opportunity of telling her special friends that there was a treasure hidden in the stump of the old tree.

In short, she repeated Betty's exact action, doing so in the presence of Martha West.

Martha was a girl who invariably kept in touch with the younger girls.

There are girls who in being removed from a lower to an upper school cannot stand their elevation, and are apt to be a little queer and giddy; they have not quite got their balance. Such girls could not fall into more excellent hands than those of Martha. She heard Sibyl now chatting to a host of these younger girls, and, catching Betty's name, asked immediately what it was all about. Sibyl repeated the story with much gusto.

"And Betty did look queer!" she added. "I asked her if it was a piece of wood, and she said 'Yes;' but, all the same, she didn't like me to see her. Of course she's a darling--there's no one like her; and she recovered herself in a minute, and walked with me a long way, and then suggested that I should wear the marguerites. Of course I had to go into the flower-garden to find Birchall and coax him to cut enough for me.

Then I had to get Sarah b.u.t.t to help me to make the wreath, for I never made a wreath before in my life. But Sarah would do anything in the world that Betty suggested, she is so frightfully fond of her."

"We are all fond of her, I think," said Martha.

"Well, then she went off for a walk by herself, and I don't think she came in until quite late."

"You don't know anything about it," said Martha. "Now, look here, girls, don't waste your time talking rubbish. You are very low down in the school compared to Betty Vivian, and, compared to Betty Vivian, you are of no account whatever, for she is a Speciality, and therefore holds a position all her own. Love her as much as you like, and admire her, for she is worthy of admiration. But if I were you, Sibyl, I wouldn't tell tales out of school. Let me tell you frankly that you had no right to rush up to Betty when she was alone and ask her what she was doing. She was quite at liberty to thrust her hand into an old tree as often as ever she liked, and take some rubbish out, and look at it, and drop it in again. You are talking sheer folly. Do attend to your work, or you'll be late for Miss Skeene when she comes to give her lecture on English literature."

No girl could ever be offended by Martha, and the work continued happily. But during recess that day Sibyl beckoned her companions away with her; and she, followed by five or six girls of the lower fifth, visited the spot where Betty had stood on the previous evening. Betty was much taller than any of these girls, and they found when they reached the old stump that it was impossible for them to thrust their hands in. But this difficulty was overcome by Sibyl volunteering to sit on Mabel Lee's shoulders--and, if necessary, even to stand on her shoulders while the other girls held her firm--in order that she might thrust her hand into the hollow of the oak-tree. This feat was accomplished with some difficulty, but nothing whatever was brought up except withered leaves and debris and a broken piece of wood much saturated with rain.

"This must have been what she saw," said Sibyl. "I asked her if it was wood, and I think she said it was. Only, why did she look so very queer?"

The girls continued their walk, but Martha West stayed at home.

She had hushed the remarks made by the younger girls that morning, nevertheless she could not get them out of her mind. Sibyl's story was circ.u.mstantial. She had described Betty's annoyance and distress when they met, Betty's almost confusion. She had then said that it was Betty who suggested that she was to wear the marguerites.

Now Martha, in her heart of hearts, thought this suggestion of Betty's very far-fetched; and being a very shrewd, practical sort of girl, there came an awful moment when she almost made up her mind that Betty had done this in order to get rid of Sibyl. Why did she want to get rid of her? Martha began to believe that she was growing quite uncharitable.

At that moment, who should appear in sight, who should utter a cry of satisfaction and seat herself cosily by Martha's side, but f.a.n.n.y Crawford!

"This is nice," said f.a.n.n.y with a sigh. "I did so want to chat with you, Martha. I so seldom see you quite all by yourself."

"I am always to be seen if you really wish to find me, f.a.n.n.y," replied Martha. "I am never too busy not to be delighted to see my friends."

"Well, of course we are friends, being Specialities," was f.a.n.n.y's remark.

"Yes," answered Martha, "and I think we were friends before. I always liked you just awfully, Fan."

"Ditto, ditto," replied f.a.n.n.y. "It is curious," she continued, speaking in a somewhat sententious voice, "how one is drawn irresistibly to one girl and repelled by another. Now, I was always drawn to you, Matty; I always liked you from the very, very first. I was more than delighted when I heard that you were to become one of us."

Martha was silent. It was not her habit to praise herself, nor did she care to hear herself praised. She was essentially downright and honest.

She did not think highly of herself, for she knew quite well that she had very few outward charms.

f.a.n.n.y, however, who was the essence of daintiness, looked at her now with blue-gray eyes full of affection. "Martha," she said, "I have such a lot to talk over! What did you think of last night?"

"I thought it splendid," replied Martha.

"And Betty--what did you think of Betty?"

"Your cousin? She is very dramatic," said Martha.

"Yes, that is it," replied f.a.n.n.y; "she is dramatic in everything. I doubt if she is ever natural or her true self."

"f.a.n.n.y!"

"Oh, dear old Martha, don't be so frightfully prim! I don't intend to break Rule No. I. Of course I love Betty. As a matter of fact, I have loved her before any of you set eyes on her. She is my very own cousin, and but for father's strong influence would never have been at this school at all. Still, I repeat that she is dramatic and hardly ever herself."

"She puzzles me, I confess," said Martha, a little dubiously; "but then," she added, "I can't help yielding to her charm."

"That is it," said f.a.n.n.y--"her charm. But look down deep into your heart, Martha, and tell me if you think her charm healthy."

"Well, I see nothing wrong about it." Then Martha became abruptly silent.

"For instance," said f.a.n.n.y, pressing a little closer to her companion, "why ever did she make your special protege Sibyl Ray such a figure of fun last night?"

"I thought Sibyl looked rather pretty."

"When she entered the room, Martha?"

"Oh no; she was quite hideous then, poor little thing! But Betty soon put that all right; she had very deft fingers."

"I know," said f.a.n.n.y. "But what I want to have explained is this: why Betty, a girl who is more or less wors.h.i.+ped by half the girls in the school, should trouble herself with such a very unimportant person as Sibyl Ray, I want to know. Can you tell me?"

"Even if I could tell you, remembering Rule No. I., I don't think I would," said Martha.

f.a.n.n.y sat very still for a minute or two. Then she got up. "I don't see," she remarked, "why Rule No. I. should make us unsociable each with the other. The very object of our club is that we should have no secrets, but should be quite open and above-board. Now, Martha West, look me straight in the face!"

"I will, f.a.n.n.y Crawford. What in the world are you accusing me of?"

"Of keeping something back from me which, as a member of the Specialities, you have no right whatever to do."

A slow, heavy blush crept over Martha's face. She got up. "I am going to look over my German lesson," she said. "Fraulein will want me almost immediately." Then she left f.a.n.n.y, who stared after her retreating figure.

"I will find out," thought f.a.n.n.y, "what Martha is keeping to herself.

That little horror Betty will sow all kinds of evil seed in the school if I don't watch her. I did wrong to promise her, by putting my finger to my lips, that I would be silent with regard to her conduct. I see it now. But if Betty supposes that she can keep her secret to herself she is vastly mistaken. Hurrah, there's Sibyl Ray! Sib, come here, child; I want to have a chat with you."

It was a bitterly cold and windy day outside; there were even sleet-showers falling at intervals. Winter was coming on early, and with a vengeance.

"Why have you come in?" asked f.a.n.n.y.

"It's so bitterly cold out, f.a.n.n.y."

"Well, sit down now you are in. You are a nice little thing, you know, Sib, although at present you are very unimportant. You know that, of course?"

"Yes," said Sibyl; "I am told it nearly every hour of the day." She spoke in a wistful tone. "Sometimes," she added, "I could almost wish I were back in the lower school, where I was looked up to by the smaller girls and had a right good time."

"We can never go back, Sib; that is the law of life."