CHAPTER X
Honor Finds Favour
Honor was undoubtedly finding Chessington College a totally differentplace from Kilmore Castle, and in the six weeks she had spent there shehad already learnt many lessons quite apart from textbooks. The wildestbird cannot fly with its wings clipped, and at school Honor was sobound round with conventionalities and restrictions that she neverdreamt of raising such turbulent scenes as had sometimes been her wontat home. The calm, firm administration of Miss Cavendish, MissMaitland's wise control, and Miss Farrar's brisk authority, all seemedindisputable; and even the regulations of Vivian Holmes might not bedefied with impunity. The Fitzgerald pride could not tolerate a lowplace in class, therefore Honor prepared her work carefully, so thatshe might be above Flossie Taylor and Effie Lawson, emulation urgingher to efforts which love of learning alone would not have effected.She did not indulge so frequently as before in either "tantrums" orbursts of temper, for these provoked such ridicule from the other girlsthat she felt rather ashamed of them; and even her overflowing spiritsbegan to be modified to the level of what was considered "good form" atChessington.
There is a vast power in public opinion, and Honor, who at Kilmore hadlived according to a model of her own choosing, now found herselfinsensibly falling in with the general tone of the College, andacquiring the mental shibboleths of her schoolfellows. Naturally allthis was not accomplished at once, and "Paddy Pepper-box", as she wasstill nicknamed, had many outbreaks and relapses; but by the time thehalf-term arrived, Miss Maitland, in a long talk with Miss Cavendish,was able to report that "Honor Fitzgerald was marvellously improved".
"She has the elements of a very fine character," said thehouse-mistress, "though at present it is like a statue that is still inthe rough block of marble: it will take much shaping and carving beforethe real beauty appears. There is sterling good in her, in spite ofcertain glaring faults. She is at a most critical, impressionable age,and will require careful management. Everything depends upon whatstandards she forms now."
Though the whole atmosphere of St. Chad's had its effect upon Honor,she owed more than even Miss Maitland guessed to the influence of JanieHenderson. Janie seemed to have the power of drawing out all that wasbest in her friend's disposition. In some subtle fashion she appearedto demand the good, and, by presupposing it was there, to bring itactually into existence. Many new ideas of duty, consideration forothers, and self-restraint, that had never before occurred to Honor,now began to take root and grow--feebly at first, but the seed wasthere, and the fruit would come afterwards. It was Janie who put thefirst suggestion into her mind that life was more than a mereplayground, and that other people have paramount claims on us, thefulfilling of which can bring a purer joy than that of pleasingourselves; Janie who, by implying what a comfort an only daughter mightbe to father, mother, and brothers, made her realize how utterly shehad so far failed to be anything but a care; and Janie whose highideals and aspirations raised future possibilities of helpfulness ofwhich she had not hitherto dreamt, for until she came to St. Chad'sHonor had not heard of girls taking up careers, or fitting themselvesfor any special work.
"I don't mean earning one's own living," said Janie. "Neither you nor Iwill probably ever have to do that, and Mother says it is hardly rightfor women who have independent incomes to overcrowd professions, anddrive out those who are obliged to keep themselves. What I want is tosettle on some useful thing, and then to do it thoroughly. I've a largefamily of cousins in town, and they all are so busy, each in adifferent way. One has trained as a Princess Christian nurse, and nowgoes three days a week to give help at a creche. She took me once tosee the babies; they were the very poorest of the poor, but werebeautifully clean, and so good. Beatrice simply loves them. ThenMillicent, the second girl, has learnt wood-carving and metal-work, andtakes a class at a Lads' Recreation Club. One of her boys has turnedout so clever that he has been sent to the Technical Schools to study'applied arts'. Milly is tremendously proud of him, particularly as hecomes from such a wretched, lost, drunken home. Barbara is verymusical--she teaches singing at a Factory Girls' Club; and Mabel helpswith a Children's Happy Evening Society."
"But can you do those kinds of things in the country?" asked Honor.
"I'm going to try, when I leave school. I thought if I could learnambulance work I could have a 'First Aid' class for the village girls.Most of them don't know how to dress a burn, or bind up a wound. I haveanother scheme too."
"What's that?"
"It's so ambitious, I'd better not talk about it. Perhaps the ambulancework will be enough for a beginning, and the other could follow. Well,if you insist upon my telling you, I should like to get up alace-making industry among the girls in our village. I read an articlein a magazine about someone who had revived the old Honiton patterns ata place in Devonshire."
"A few of the women make lace in our neighbourhood," said Honor.
"How splendid! Then you could start the same at Kilmore, and we couldkeep comparing notes, and get specimens sent to exhibitions--the 'IrishIndustries', you know, or 'Peasants' Handicrafts'. It's such a pitythat everything should be done by machinery nowadays! Why, you mighthave quite a thriving colony of lacemakers at Kilmore--the women couldbe working at their 'pillows' while the men are out fishing. If I beginat Redcliffe, will you promise to try the experiment too?"
Such a proposal as introducing a new occupation for the tenants on herfather's demesne almost took Honor's breath away; yet to her activemind it was rather attractive, and she drew a rapid mental picture ofthe little barefooted colleens of Kilmore seated at their cabin doors,plying the bobbins with deft fingers. Janie's ardour was infectious,and if Honor were not yet ready to agree to all her plans, at least shecaught enough enthusiasm to be interested in the subject, and to admitthat it was a dream worthy some day of realization.
In the meantime, the ordinary school course gave ample scope for theenergies of both girls. Janie, though a great reader, was backward inmany subjects, and was obliged to study hard to keep up with the restof the class; while Honor, naturally far more clever, had not beenaccustomed to apply her brains in any systematic fashion. The work ofthe Lower Third was stiff enough to need constant application, unlessthe girls wished to earn the reputation of "slackers", a distinctionwhich neither coveted. Besides their mental exertions, Honor, at anyrate, wished to maintain her credit in the playing-fields. Janie hadlong ago given up all hope of becoming a good cricketer, or even amoderate tennis player. She was not fond of exercise. To use her ownphrase, she "hated to be made to run about". Her ideal of bliss was tobe left to wander round the grounds with a book; but as this waspermitted only on Sundays, she was forced on weekdays, much against herinclination, to take her due part in the games. She even went thelength of envying Muriel Cunliffe, whose sprained ankle did not allowher to hobble farther than the garden for five weeks; and hailed withdelight the occasions when the school filed out for a walk on themoors, instead of the usual routine of fielding, batting, or bowling,all of which she equally detested.
During the latter part of the summer term, when the weather wassufficiently warm, swimming was included among the outdoor sports.There was a large bath behind the gymnasium, and here every girl wasobliged to learn her strokes, and to be reported as "proficient",before she was allowed to venture on a dip in the ocean. Those whoreached the required stage of independence were taken in classes ofabout twelve to practise under the critical superintendence of MissYoung. The bathing-place was a sheltered cove among the cliffs, not farfrom the College, and reached by a footpath and a flight of steps cutin the rock. On the strip of shore stood a big wooden hut, partitionedoff into small dressing-rooms; and a causeway of flat stones had beenmade down to the water, to avoid the sharp flints of the shingly beach.
Janie, though not an expert swimmer, had passed her novitiate, andthoroughly enjoyed a leisurely round of the bay, with as much floatingincluded as Miss Young would allow. To Honor the sea was as a secondelement. She had been accustomed to it from h
er babyhood, and was asfearless as any of her brothers. She soon gave proof of her ability inthe bath, and was straightway placed among those Chaddites who wereprivileged to visit the sea.
It was a glorious afternoon in the middle of June when she started forher first trial of the waves of the Channel.
"It can't be anything like so rough as the Atlantic," she declared."I've swum out sometimes when there was a swell on, and it was quitedifficult to get back."
"Of course, we're not allowed to go when it's rough," said Janie."To-day I expect it will be as smooth as a millpond. I'm so glad you'renot a beginner, and only learning to struggle round the bath!"
"So am I. To judge from Madge Summers's achievements yesterday, itdoesn't look like a pleasant performance. She appeared to be trying todrown herself."
"Madge is horribly clumsy! I don't believe she'll ever manage to keepafloat properly. She always flounders unless she has one foot at thebottom. Pauline Reynolds wouldn't venture into the water at all atfirst; Miss Young had to push her in. I shall never forget how sheshrieked; and she was so frightened, she actually swam three strokes!"
"Poor old Pauline! It was hard luck on her."
"Yes, it couldn't have been particularly nice. I didn't altogetherappreciate learning myself, with a row of horrid Hilaryites sitting onthe diving-board and jeering at my best efforts. However, 'those brightdays are o'er', and now 'I hear the ocean roar', as the poem says."
Each Chaddite was required to carry her own bathing costume and towel,and to wait in the quadrangle for Vivian Holmes, who was to escort theparty down to the cove. Miss Young was already on duty, superintendinga batch of Aldwythites, who were to have the first half-hour in thewater, and who must vacate the dressing-hut before the secondcontingent arrived.
"I wonder if there'll be any trippers to-day," said Lettice Talbot,winding her towel artistically round her hat, and letting the ends falllike a pugaree. "Sometimes excursionists from Dunscar walk along thebeach, and insist upon stopping to look at us."
"Are they allowed?" asked Honor.
"We can't help it. The beach is common property, and though the Collegegot permission to put up a wooden shanty, it has no power to preventanybody who likes from coming past. Some people are the greatestnuisance. They bring cakes and bags of shrimps, and sit down on therocks to eat them while they watch us."
"What cheek!"
"Yes; we glower at them in as withering a manner as we can, but theydon't seem to mind in the least. I suppose they think we're part of theseaside amusements, like the niggers, or the pierrots."
"Fortunately, that doesn't happen often," said Ruth Latimer. "We'veonly been really annoyed once or twice; Lettice loves to exaggerate.The cove is about the quietest spot on the whole shore. Here's Vivian;it must be time to set off."
Honor was in her liveliest spirits as they walked along the cliffs. Shewas overflowing with Irish blarney and nonsense, asking absurd riddlesand making bad puns, and sending the other girls into such fits oflaughter that Vivian called them to order.
"Don't be so horribly noisy!" she said. "Honor Fitzgerald, I wish youwere more sensible."
"I'm very contrite," replied Honor cheerfully. "You see, I've neverbeen taught to be serious-minded. I'm quite ready to learn, though, ifyou'll set me someone to copy. Would this be better?" and she put on anexpression of such lugubrious gloom that the rest could not suppresstheir mirth.
Vivian did not seem to appreciate equally the humour of the situation.She was rather jealous of her position as monitress, and not unwillingto show her authority. Moreover, she was responsible for the conduct ofthe girls, who were expected to comport themselves discreetly on apublic footpath.
Honor was not a favourite of hers. Vivian considered her too forward,and thought she made a troublesome element at St. Chad's. In heropinion, a new-comer in her first term ought not to attempt to obtrudeherself, but should follow the lead of those who had been some years atthe school. She told her rather sharply, therefore, to come and walkwith her, and made the others go two and two, in a due and orderlyfashion.
"I see some people coming along the cliffs," she said, "and I should bemost ashamed if it were reported that the Chessington girls don't knowhow to behave themselves."
"I wonder whether she's taking the opportunity to try to improvePaddy's mind on the way," laughed Lettice to Ruth Latimer.
"She'll have a difficult task, then," remarked Ruth. "I can't imaginePaddy engaged in very deep and serious discourse."
By the time the St. Chad's party had climbed down the rocky steps on tothe beach, the Aldwythites were just emerging from the hut, a lively,bareheaded little company, spreading their hair to dry in the wind andsunshine.
"It's simply delicious in the sea to-day," they called out; "quitewarm, and as calm as possible."
The Chaddites had soon donned their bathing costumes, and wentscampering down the causeway to take the coveted plunge into the waves.
"I don't know anything more glorious than the first few strokes ofone's swim," said Lettice, floating for a moment or two by Honor'sside. "I'm sure a frog couldn't enjoy it more, and a duck simply isn'tin it!"
Honor seemed as much at home in the water as the fishes, and MissYoung, after watching her progress near the shore, gave her permissionto go with the more advanced members of the class for a tour of thebay.
"I shall not be far off myself," she remarked, "and of course you mustcome back the instant I call to you."
"Miss Young generally stays close to the girls who aren't so much usedto it, in case they should get cramp, or turn giddy," explainedLettice. "Beatrice Marsden and Ivy Ridgeway are only beginning, so Iexpect she'll paddle about with them in four feet of water. JanieHenderson never ventures very far either."
Once out in the bay, Honor began to distinguish herself, greatly to thedelight of her admiring friends. She swam on her side and on her back,dived to pick up stones, and even contrived to make a wheel.
"How plucky you are!" exclaimed Lettice. "I should never dare toattempt such feats; but then, I haven't the sea to practise in at home.Look at Chatty; she's trying to do a wheel too. I know she'll come togrief. Chatty! Do you want us to have to practise life-saving?"
"No, thank you," said Chatty; "I was only seeing what I could manage.Look here! suppose we swim right round the bay. We can take a restevery now and then by floating and towing each other along."
Though there were no excursionists on the shore that day, the girlsnoticed a small boat bobbing about near the point of the cliffs. Itcontained three people, who were evidently visitors from Dunscar. Ayoung man in his shirt sleeves, with a pocket-handkerchief tied overhis head, was rowing in a very awkward fashion, as if it were the firsttime he had handled a pair of oars; while his companions, girls ofabout sixteen and seventeen, kept jumping up and changing places, orleaning suddenly over the side to catch pieces of seaweed.
"Vivian might complain of their laughing," said Lettice. "Just listento them! Aren't they fearfully vulgar?"
"Cheap trippers come over for the day, no doubt," said Chatty. "Look!One of the girls is pretending to throw the young man's hat overboard,and he's trying to clutch it."
"The silly things! They're making that boat heel over far more than Ishould appreciate, if I were inside her," remarked Honor. "I don'tbelieve they know there's any danger."
"I wonder they were allowed to go out without taking a boatman. I'msure it's not safe," said Lettice.
The three young excursionists were still struggling and fighting overthe hat when round the corner of the headland came the steamer fromWesthaven, steering much closer to the shore than was her custom. Shehad started late, and her captain was trying to make up for lost time;and, in consequence, she was going at top speed. Her screw made such atremendous wash that in a moment the sea was as rough as if there hadbeen a storm. The bathers felt themselves tossed about like corks, andstruck out as hard as they could for the shore, trying to keep abreastof the waves that threatened to overpower them. The next mome
nt therewas a chorus of wild, agonized shrieks, and the little cockle-shell ofa boat whirled rapidly past, upside down, the young man and one girlclinging desperately to it, with white, terror-stricken faces. Theother girl was nowhere to be seen. She rose in a few seconds, however,struggling violently, and sank again; then, when she came up for thesecond time, she had drifted a good distance farther on, and wasstrangely quiet.
The Chaddites had been separated by the sudden shock of the unexpectedoccurrence. Lettice found it as much as she could manage to keep herhead above water, and Chatty acknowledged afterwards that she had neverbefore felt in such danger of her life. Honor, however, was swimmingfast in the direction of the drowning pleasure-seeker, and seized herjust as she was on the point of going down for the third time. Luckilythe poor girl had lost consciousness, and so did not grip her rescuer,or it might have ended fatally for them both. As it was, Honor was ableto put her arm under her and keep her afloat while she called loudlyfor help.
But no one could come immediately. The heavy sea had got Ivy Ridgewayinto difficulties, and Miss Young dared not leave her while she wasstill out of her depth; and the others were only able to savethemselves: so Honor was obliged to do her best alone. By this time thesteamer had stopped and was lowering one of its boats, but it tookseveral minutes before the latter could be launched.
"Hold on a bit!" the sailors shouted encouragingly to Honor; and oncethey were clear of the vessel, they rowed with a will.
They reached the pair at last, and lifted the unfortunate girl,insensible and helpless as a log, over the gunwale.
"Better let us take you in too, miss!" said the coxswain to Honor.
"No, thanks; I'm all right," she replied, and, turning round, she swamstraight back to the shore.
The passengers on the steamer gave cheer after cheer as they watchedthe little figure making its way so pluckily; and more than one personheaved a sigh of relief when it arrived in shallow water, and walkedout on to the beach.
Meanwhile, the boat had picked up the young man and the other girl, whohad clung to their upturned craft till they were in the last stage ofexhaustion.
Poor Miss Young actually shed tears when she saw all her class safe andsound on dry land once more--a weakness of which her pupils never knewher to be guilty before or after.
"I'm not sure if I don't feel a little bit weepy myself," said MaisieTalbot. "Lettice is not a remarkably strong swimmer, and when I saw herso far out in the bay I thought--But there! it's over now, and I won'timagine horrible tragedies."
"It was a near shave for several of us," said Chatty soberly.
Honor took the whole affair with the utmost coolness; indeed, sheinsisted upon treating it almost as a joke.
"One doesn't always have the luck of picking up a mermaid," shedeclared. "I may find Father Neptune, or the Sirens, if I go a littlefarther; or perhaps I might drag back the sea serpent, as a neat littlespecimen for the school museum. If the trippers are often going toprovide us with such entertainment, we shall have very lively times atbathing."
"All the same, I'm sure she's more upset about it than she pretends,"said Lettice. "Her hands were trembling so much when she was dressing,she could scarcely button her blouse. It's just like her, though; she'drather say something funny any time, than look serious."
Miss Young praised Honor highly for her "splendid bravery and presenceof mind", and Miss Maitland added warm words of commendation. As forthe Chaddites, they could scarcely make enough of her.
"No other house can show such a record," said Maisie enthusiastically."We've beaten St. Hilary's hollow!"
"And even the School House," added Chatty, "though their monitress oncestopped a runaway donkey on the shore."
"Paddy, we're proud of you!" said Lettice.
"Please don't say any more about it!" protested Honor. "I was onlyenjoying myself. I feel a great deal prouder when I've finished a sumin cube root, because I simply hate arithmetic. Swimming is as easy tome as walking, and I'm sure you'd each have done the same if youcould."
Naturally, Honor was the heroine of the school, especially as theaffair got into the newspapers, and the Royal Humane Society wrote tosay that she would be presented with a medal in recognition of hercourage. The father and mother of the girl whose life she had savedcalled with their daughter at the College, and begged to be allowed toexpress their gratitude, so Honor was sent for by the head mistress.She would have been glad to avoid what seemed to her an embarrassinginterview, but there was no escape.
"These people have come on purpose to see you," said Miss Maitland; "itwould be not only discourteous but unkind if you were to refuse tospeak to them."
Honor had not been in Miss Cavendish's study since the memorableoccasion when she had so injudiciously sported the shamrock, and as sheentered the beautiful, old-world room again she could not help afeeling of wonder at how much had happened since she had first set footthere, and of relief that this second summons should be forapprobation, instead of blame.
She would give no account afterwards of what took place, or what thegirl's parents said to her, though Lettice was full of curiosity andpressed her for particulars.
"Look here!" she exclaimed; "if anybody says another word to me aboutthis business, I shall leave St. Chad's and go across to St. Hilary's.I should be sorry to desert you all, but I'm sick of the very sound of'life-saving'! As for the medal, I'm thankful to say it will be sent tome by post during the holidays, so there'll be no dreadful ordeal ofpresentation. Now, I've told you as much as I intend, so please goaway, and let me do my preparation in peace!"