inconsolable--wantsto get it at once."
Again I was a remarkably silly girl; but I took Riki's letter and postedit for her. She devoured me with kisses, and immediately recovered herspirits.
The next day she was better and able to go out, and when she returnedhome she presented me with a magnificent box of French bonbons. Now, Iwas exceedingly partial to those sweets. Riki often came into ourlittle sitting-room, and all the girls began to remark on ourfriendship.
"It is so unlike the Comtesse Riki to take up passionately with any onegirl!" said Rosalind when this sort of thing had been going on for a fewweeks and we were all talking of the Easter holidays.
The great point of whether I was to go home or not had not yet beendecided. Hermione knew she must remain at the school; Augusta wouldprobably do likewise.
Rosalind went on commenting on my friendship with Riki. After a pauseshe said, "Of course, she has been at the school for some time; sheleaves in the summer."
"Oh!" I answered; "she told me that she would be here for anotheryear."
"I think it has been changed. She is not contented; the Baroness willnot keep a pupil in the school who shows discontent."
"But surely she is quite a nice girl?"
Rosalind was silent for a minute; then she said, "Perhaps I ought justto warn you, Dumps. I wouldn't trouble myself to do so--for I make apoint of never interfering between one girl and another--but as you areLilian St Leger's friend, and have been specially introduced to methrough her, it is but fair to say that you ought to regard the Germangirl from a different standpoint from the English one."
"Certainly the German girl is different," I said; and I laughinglyrepeated some of Riki's conversation with me in the Bois de Boulogne.
"Think of any girl talking of _dots_, and being betrothed, and gettingmarried at her age!" I said.
"Oh, that isn't a bit strange," replied Rosalind; "they all do it.These German girls get married very young, and the marriages arearranged for them by their parents; they never have anything to say tothem themselves."
"Well, it is horrible," I said, "and I told her so."
"Did you?" said Rosalind very slowly. "Well, perhaps that accounts."She looked very grave. After a minute she bent towards me and said in alow tone--too low even for Hermione to hear--"Whatever you do, don'tpost letters for her."
I started and felt myself turning very white.
"You won't, will you?" said Rosalind, giving my arm a little squeeze.
I made no reply.
"It will be madness if you do. You cannot possibly tell what it means,Dumps."
"Why, is there anything very dreadful in it?"
"Dreadful? Why, the Baroness has all the letters put into a box in thehall--I mean all the foreigners' letters--and she herself keeps the key.She opens the box to take out the letters both for the post and whenthey have arrived, and distributes them amongst the girls."
"And she doesn't do that for the English girls?"
"No--not for a few. With the consent of their parents, they are allowedto have a free correspondence." I sat very still and quiet. One or twothings were being made plain to me. After a pause I said, "I can tellyou nothing, Rosalind, but I thank you very much."
On the next day I myself was seized with the first severe cold I had hadthat winter; it was very bad and kept me in bed. I had been in bed allday, not feeling exactly ill, but glad of the warmth and comfort of mysnug little room. Towards evening Augusta came in and asked me if Iwould like any friends to visit me.
"Oh, I don't know," I answered. "Of course, Hermione or you; but theothers--I think not."
"There's that stupid girl, that pale-faced Comtesse--Riki, I think youcall her--she is very anxious to come and have a chat with you."
Now, to tell the truth, I had been feeling uncomfortable enough eversince Rosalind had spoken to me about the rule with regard to theforeign girls' letters. The Baroness von Gablestein had every right tomake what rules she liked in her own school, but I could not helpthinking that it was hardly wise that such a marked distinction shouldbe made between girls of one nationality and another. I now understoodthat all foreign girls' letters were pot into the post-box in the hall,and the Baroness looked them over before they were posted. But theaffair was not mine, and I should have forgotten all about it but forthe very uncomfortable feeling that I myself, unwittingly, had twicebroken this most solemn rule of the house, and had twice posted a letterfor Riki von Kronenfel.
Now, it seemed to me that this might be a good opportunity for me toexpostulate with her on the whole position, and to tell her that she haddone very wrong to allow me innocently to break the rule of the house,and to assure her that under no circumstances should I be guilty of suchan indiscretion again.
Augusta meanwhile seated herself comfortably by my bedside.
"Horrible," she said--"horrible! but for the prospect of pleasing him--"
I did not pretend to misunderstand her.
"But you are really getting on splendidly, Augusta," I said.
"Ah, yes! I should be a brute indeed did I do otherwise. And perhapswhen I am sufficiently acquainted with the German tongue I may find outsome of its beauties--or, rather, the beauties of its literature, forthe language itself is all guttural and horrible--worse than French."
"But surely French is very dainty?" I said.
"Dainty!" said Augusta, with scorn. "What one wants is a language ofthought--a language that will show sentiment, that will reveal the depthof nature; and how, I ask you, can you find it in that frippery theFrench tongue?"
"I do not know," I answered somewhat wearily.
"I like Moliere and the writings of some of the other great French poetsvery much indeed."
"Well," said Augusta, "I have got to study a great quantity of Germanfor to-morrow morning. I must go into my room and tackle it. TheProfessor said I was not to write to him, but I keep his treasuredletter near my heart; but if you are writing home you might say thatAugusta is not ungrateful. Do you ever have the great privilege ofwriting direct to your father?"
"I could, of course, write to father any day," I said; "but as a matterof fact I don't."
"But why not?"
"It would worry the poor man."
"But you might write just once to give him my message."
"I will, Augusta, if you will leave me now."
"But why do you want to get rid of me? How like you are to him! Youhave just that same bluntness and the same determination. You interestme at times profoundly."
"Well," I said, "if I interest you to the extent of getting you to startyour German it would be better."
"All right; but what am I to say to that silly Comtesse?"
"Tell her that I will see her by-and-by."
"You had much better not. She is not worth a grain of salt. A littlepiece of conceit!"
Augusta left the room. She had not been gone many minutes before therecame a tap at the door, and the Comtesse, dressed in the palest blue andlooking remarkably pretty, entered.
"Ah!" she said, "you have caught cold from me, you poor English girl,and I am so disconsolate."
She sank down at the foot of the bed and fixed her bright eyes on myface.
"You are much better," I said.
"Ah, yes, that is so. I am what is called more spirited, and it isbecause of you; but for you I should be indeed disconsolate. I mighthave chosen the stupid, the so weary life of the good German housewife,instead of--"
"What do you mean?" I said.
"I cannot say more. There are secrets which can be guessed but whichmust not be spoken."
"Riki," I said, "I do wish you would give me a right good lesson intalking German."
"Oh, but I couldn't--to give you a lesson. But why should I thusdiscompose myself?"
"It would be a good and worthy object for one girl to help another."
"I want not to think of objects good and worthy. Why should I? Thatisn't my aim; that is not what is called my _metier_ in
life."
I sighed.
"You have made me so happy that I should be happy to do what I could toplease _you_, and to bring that one very slow smile to your so graveface, and to let your eyes open wide and look into my face so that Ishould see the lurking goodness within, but it is too troublesome."
"Riki, there is something I must say to you."
"Why that tone of suffering? I hope it isn't of the so disagreeablenature."
"I can't help it if it is. Do you know that you have done somethingvery wrong?"
She clasped her hands and looked at me