CHAPTER V
Diana Dares
If Diana--a modern Eve--hankered after the apples of new experiences,Wendy succumbed to her persuasions as readily as Adam. The littlepurling brook was attractive, mistresses and prefects were safely out ofsight, and schoolmates, if they chanced to appear on the scene, might bebribed not to blab. In a twinkling laces were unfastened, and two stoutpairs of boots stowed away among the stones, each with its stockingtucked inside; while two pairs of bare feet went splashing joyously intothe brook. It was fun paddling in the little pools and scrambling overthe rocks, waving a foot occasionally into a foaming fall, and dancingout on to the grass when the water grew too cold to be endured anylonger. They wandered for some distance up the hill-side, supremelyhappy, though taking care not to allow their exuberant spirits tooverflow into song. So far not a soul seemed to have noticed them--theywere enjoying the sweets of undiscovered crime. Suddenly through theclear autumnal air rang out the shrill, bubbling call of the regimentalwhistle with which Miss Todd was wont, on country walks, to collect herscattered flock. The two sinners jumped so uneasily that Wendy slippedfrom a stone and splashed into a pool, with rather disastrousconsequences to her skirt.
"We'd best go back and find our boots," she said, hurriedly wringing thewater from the brown tweed.
They had not realized how far they had roamed up the stream, and thelength of the way back surprised them. It is not an easy matter to hurryover slippery stones, though they made what speed they could, urged byanother summons from the whistle.
"I think this was the place," declared Diana, at last arriving atlandmarks that seemed familiar. "I left mine just over there."
Both girls sought their hiding-places, but, to their utter dismay, theboots were missing. They searched about here, there, and everywhere, butnot so much as the tab of a lace could be found. Meanwhile the whistlesounded impatient blasts.
"What _are_ we to do?" flustered Wendy. "Toddlekins will be furious ifwe don't go; and yet how _can_ we go without our boots?"
"We must have mistaken the place," gasped Diana. "Perhaps it was fartherdown."
"No, no! I'm certain it was just here."
"Well, we're in a pretty fix, at any rate."
"T-r-r-r-r-ee-ee!" came again from the fell side. To disobey the summonsdeliberately was open mutiny. An agitated voice on the bank called tothem.
"Wendy and Diana, can't you hear the whistle? Come this instant!"
It was Stuart Hamilton, who stood beckoning violently.
"We've lost our boots," wailed Wendy.
"Then come without them. Miss Todd has sent me to find you. Hurry up!"
It was a scratchy and painful performance to hurry through heather andover sharp stones to the spot where the school was assembled. Miss Toddstood staring at them as they approached, with her "report yourself inmy study" expression. They felt their bare legs and feet mostembarrassingly conspicuous, and wished that fickle fashion had clothedthem in longer skirts.
"What is the meaning of this?" asked the Principal, eyeing theiruncovered extremities severely.
"We've--we've--lost our boots," stammered Diana, speaking for both.
"And why were your boots taken off? You were aware of the rule, for Ihappen to know that you had just been reminded of it." (Here Wendy fixeda reproachful gaze on Geraldine, who coloured slightly.) "You'vedeliberately disobeyed orders, and you will be confined to 'bounds' fora fortnight. It's absolutely essential in our country rambles thatdiscipline should be kept up, and any girl who breaks rules will stay athome next time. You deserve to walk back with bare feet, but MissBeverley will give you your boots. Put them on at once!"
It was horrible to have to sit down upon the heather and pull onstockings and boots under the critical supervision of twenty-two pairsof eyes. Diana's lace broke, and Wendy's fingers seemed all thumbs. MissTodd superintended till the last knot had been awkwardly tied, then shegave the signal for marching. Considerably crestfallen, the delinquentsdropped towards the rear.
"Did Geraldine sneak?" whispered Wendy to Violet.
"No, it wasn't exactly her fault--it was Spot really. He routed out theboots, and began barking and worrying them, and Miss Beverley rushed upto see what he'd got--she thought he'd caught an otter or a water-rat.When she saw it was boots--well----"
"She knew she'd caught us," finished Diana.
"She took the boots straight to Miss Todd, and Toddlekins blew herwhistle and counted us over like sheep to find who was missing. Then sheasked who'd seen you last, and if anyone had given you leave to wade.She dragged it all out of Geraldine. I don't think Gerry would have toldon her own."
"Spot!" said Diana, turning reproachful eyes on that panting specimen ofthe canine race. "I used to think you a dinky little dog, but I'm out offriends with you now. It's a real mean trick you've played us. Oh! youneedn't come jumping up on me and licking my hand. What possessed you tounearth those boots? 'Bounds' for a whole fortnight! And I wanted to goto Glenbury on Wednesday. It's too disgusting for words! Vi, d'you thinkif I looked an absolute hallowed saint all Sunday, and Monday, andTuesday, Miss Todd would let me go to Glenbury? My name's down for theexeat, you know."
Violet regarded Diana for a moment or two as if making mentalcalculations.
"You couldn't do it," she decided at last. "You couldn't look the leasttiny, weeny atom like a saint if you tried till doomsday. Saints oughtto be thin and wan, with straight noses and fair hair parted in themiddle. You're rosy and substantial, and your nose isn't straight, andyour hair's too brown, and as for your eyes--they've a wicked twinkle inthem the whole time. No, my good girl, whatever else you may do, youwon't succeed in looking saintly."
"Well, I guess I've got some bounce in me, certainly," agreed Diana."But I thought perhaps if I went about on tiptoe and whispered,and"--hopefully--"I could keep my eyes half-shut, couldn't I?"
Violet shook her head decisively.
"That twinkle would ooze out of the smallest chink, and besides, even ifyou managed to look a saint, that wouldn't influence Toddlekins. Youdon't know her yet. Once she says a thing she sticks to it like glue._She_ calls it necessary firmness in a mistress, and _we_ call it astrain of obstinacy in her disposition. In the old days we could getround Mrs. Gifford, but now Toddlekins rules the show, you may as wellmake up your mind to things and have done with it. What she says iskismet."
"Why do you want to go to Glenbury?" asked Jess.
"Oh! just a reason of my own," evaded Diana.
"You'll very likely get an exeat the week after," consoled Violet.
"It would be no use to me then," said Diana dismally.
The procession of rush-bearers, each carrying a good-sized sheaf in herarms, wound down the hill-side to go back to Pendlemere by a differentroute. This was a wild track over the moors, past the old slate-quarry,where rusty bits of machinery and piles of broken slates were lyingabout, then over the ridge and down by Wethersted Tarn to the gorgewhere the river took its rise. Here a stream of considerable forcethundered along between high walls of rock. It was a picturesque spot;rowan-trees hung from clefts in the crags, their bright berriesrivalling the scarlet of the hips and haws; green fronds of fern bent atthe water's edge, and brilliant carpets of moss clothed the boulders. Atone point a great tree-trunk, a giant of the fells, rotten through manyyears of braving the strong west wind, had fallen and lay across thetorrent. It stretched from bank to bank like a rough kind of naturalbridge, with the stream roaring and foaming only six feet below. Thegirls scrambled over its upturned roots, and stood looking at thestraight trunk and withered branches that lay stretched before them.
"Shouldn't care to venture across there," said Loveday with a shiver.
"It looks particularly slippery and horrid," agreed Geraldine.
"The water must be so very deep down there," said Hilary.
"I don't believe there's one of us who'd go across for afive-pound-note," said Ida. "What offers? Don't all speak at once!"
The girls smiled, and wer
e turning away to follow Miss Todd, whenGeraldine stopped and held up a finger.
"What's that noise?" she asked.
"I don't hear anything but the stream," said Ida doubtfully.
"I do, though," said Diana, who with Wendy and Vi had joined theseniors. "It sounds like somebody whimpering."
"I'm going down the bank to see."
The others followed Geraldine, and swung themselves down to the waterlevel. Sitting under the arch formed by the roots of the tree was asmall boy of about seven, rubbing two swimming eyes with two grimylittle fists and sobbing lustily.
"Hallo! What's the matter here?" said Geraldine briskly. "Where do youcome from, and why don't you go home? Are you lost?"
At the mention of "home" the little fellow's tears redoubled, and thewhimper rose to a roar. Ida sat down on the rock beside him, and triedto comfort him. It was a difficult process to get any coherent orsensible replies to her questions, but after considerable coaxing, and alast piece of chocolate which Wendy fortunately fished from her pocket,she managed to wring from him that his name was Harry, that he lived ata farm on the other side of the torrent, that he had come down to theriver with several other boys, and that they had dared him to cross bythe fallen tree. Once over, he was too frightened to go back, and, afterwaiting and calling to him for some time, the other boys had run away.How was he going to get home?
The situation was difficult, for there was no bridge across the riverfor many miles. Unless the child could go back the way he had come, itwas a problem what was to be done.
"You were a silly boy ever to try to cross," said Geraldinesententiously.
"They said I durstn't!" sobbed the small sinner.
"Oh, don't scold him!" pleaded Diana. "I do know so exactly how he felt.I've often been dared to do things myself, and done them, though Ishivered."
"Well, you'd surely never do such a silly thing as cross that tree?"
TWO PAIRS OF BARE FEET WENT SPLASHING JOYOUSLY INTO THEBROOK]
"Wouldn't I? I believe I'm going to do it now."
"Diana!"
"He's got to get home somehow. Look here, Harry!"--Diana knelt on thepebbles, and put her arm round the little blue-jerseyed figure--"supposeI were to go too, would you dare to cross again? We'd both crawl on ourhands and knees."
The sobs stopped, while Harry took a swift survey of her face.Apparently he found it satisfactory.
"If you'll go first," he stammered.
"Then come along--we've no time to waste," said Diana, springing up andgiving him her hand.
"Diana! You surely don't mean----" began Geraldine in eagerremonstrance.
"Yes, I do!" interrupted Diana. "I've done worse things before, and I'mnot scared. Come on, Harry! We'll have you home in forty cracks."
The girls did not attempt to interfere. They stood and watched whileDiana hauled the little boy up the bank. Perhaps each secretly wishedshe were capable of such a piece of pluck. Though the tree was tallenough to span the stream, its bole seemed very narrow to form a bridge,and the rounded surface made it all the more slippery; the few brancheshere and there were of little help. Diana hoisted up her protege, thengoing in front of him began to crawl across on her hands and knees,speaking to him all the time, so as to encourage him to follow her.Beneath them the water foamed and roared over the rocks: to slip wouldmean to be whirled into the depths of a dark pool below. It was a slowprogress, but inch by inch they crept along till the most dangerous partwas passed, and they had reached comparative safety. The girls cheeredwhen at last Diana scrambled to her feet and lifted Harry on to dryground. A path led up the side of the gorge, and along this he set offat full speed for home. His preserver stood looking after him for aminute or two, and then she turned to re-cross her perilous bridge. Sixhands were stretched out to help her as she completed the venturesomejourney.
"You're a trump, Di!"
"_I_ daren't have done it!"
"You've been a guardian angel to that child!"
"Was it _very_ awful?"
"I can't think how you managed it!"
"I nearly screamed when you reached the middle!"
"It felt worse coming back than going," said Diana, brushing her skirt,which had suffered considerably. "Somehow I minded it more. Well, it'sover now! We'd better be getting on, hadn't we?"
"Yes, indeed; the others will think we're lost," agreed Geraldine.
The t-r-r-ee-ee of the whistle was sounding from the far distance, sothe girls made a spurt and hurried along to catch up the rest of theparty. Geraldine, in virtue of her office as head prefect, brieflyexplained to Miss Todd the cause of the delay.
"I shouldn't have let you do it, Diana, if I had been there," said thePrincipal. "But I've no doubt the little boy's mother is blessing you.We should have had to take him to Pendlemere with us, and have sentsomebody from the village to take him home. There would have been noother way. Remember, though, that I'm responsible for you to yourparents, and I really can't allow these harum-scarum tricks. Supposethere had been an accident!"
"Dad knows me, and he wouldn't have blamed you," said Diana cheerily."He says I'm like a cat with nine lives, or a bad halfpenny that alwaysturns up again. I've done worse things than this."
"Then you won't do them while you're at this school," returned Miss Toddfirmly, motioning her to walk along in front with Geraldine.
On Monday afternoon, with the aid of some ribbons, the girls made theirrushes into pretty little sheaves. They plaited bands for them, andtwisted them securely. Miss Todd, much interested, superintended theiroperations.
"You may pick some flowers from the garden to-morrow, and put garlandsround them," she suggested. "We're reviving a most ancient custom thatdates back to the early days of Christianity in Britain. Pope Gregory IVrecommended that on the anniversaries of the dedication of churcheswrested from the Pagans, the converts should build themselves huts withthe boughs of trees round their churches, and celebrate the day withfeasting. The rush-bearing is probably the last relic of that ancientceremony. At one time there was always a village feast in connectionwith it, though it degenerated at last into a sort of rustic saturnalia,and had to be suppressed."
"Old customs are very interesting," said Diana, staring at the Principalwith wide-open, steady eyes.
"I'm glad you find them so."
"It's nice to see them _all_ kept up. If we have the rush-bearingto-morrow, oughtn't we--just to revive an old ceremony--to have thefeast as well?"
A rustle passed over the school at Diana's temerity. Miss Todd returnedthe steady gaze, then the corners of her mouth twitched.
"You've stated the case very accurately. As a matter of fact, I haveordered seed-cake and scones, and have invited the Vicarage people totea."