'It's been called out to another fire,' said once of the mistresses, who had just heard the news. 'It's coming immediately,'
'Immediately!' cried Margery. 'Well, that's not soon enough. Erica will soon be trapped by the flames.'
Before any one could stop her the girl threw off her dressing-gown and rushed to the ladder. She was up it like a monkey, though Miss Theobald shouted to her to come back.
'You can't do anything, you silly girl!' cried the Head Mistress. 'Come down!'
Every one watched Margery as she climbed to the very top of the ladder. The flames lighted up the whole scene now, and the dark figure of the climbing girl could clearly be seen.
'What does she think she can do?' said Miss Roberts, in despair. 'She'll fall!'
But Margery had seen something that had given her an idea. To the right side of the ladder ran an iron pipe. Maybe she could swarm up that and get to Erica's window. What was she going to do when she didn't know ' but she meant to do something!
She reached the top of the ladder. She put out a hand and caught hold of the strong iron pipe hoping that it was well nailed to the wall. Fortunately it was. Margery swung herself from the ladder to the pipe, clutching hold of it with her knees, and holding for dear life with her hands.
And now all her training in the gym stood her in good stead. All the scores of times she had climbed the ropes there had strengthened her arms and legs, and made them very steady and strong. It was far more difficult to climb an unyielding pipe than to swarm up a pliant rope, but Margery could do it. Up the pipe she went, pulling herself by her arms, and clinging with her knees and feet. Erica saw her coming.
'Oh, save me!' cried the girl, almost mad with fright. Margery came up to the window. Now was the most difficult part. She had to get safely from the pipe to the window-sill.
'Erica! Hold on to something and give me a hand!' yelled Margery, holding out her hand above the window-sill. 'If you can give me a pull I can get there.'
Erica gave her hand to Margery. She held on to a heavy book-case just inside the room, and Margery swung herself strongly across to the sill from the pipe. She put up a knee, grazing it badly on the sill, but she did not even feel the pain. In half a moment she was inside the room. Erica clung to her, weeping.
'Now don't be silly,' said Margery, shaking herself free and looking round the room, filled with dense black smoke. The flames were already just outside the door
and the floor felt hot to her feet. 'There's no time to lose. Where's your bed?'
Erica pointed through the smoke to where her bed was. Margery ran to it, choking, and dragged the sheets and blankets off it. She ran back to the window and leaned her head outside to get some fresh air. Then she quickly tore the sheets in half.
'Oh, what are you doing?' cried Erica, thinking that Margery was quite mad. 'Take me out of the window with you!'
'I will in a moment,' said Margery, as she knotted the sheet-strips firmly together. There were four long strips. Margery looked for something to tie one end to. As she looked, the door fell in with a crash, and flames came into the room.
'Oh, quick, quick!' cried Erica. 'I shall jump!'
'No, you won't,' said Margery. 'You're going to be saved ' and very quickly too. Look here ' see how I've knotted this sheet ' and tied it to the end of your bed. Help me drag the bed to the window. That's right.'
Margery threw the other end of the sheet-strips out of the window. The end almost reached the top of the ladder! There was no need to climb down the pipe this time!
Margery sat herself on the window-sill and made Erica come beside her. Below, the crowds of girls and mistresses were watching what was happening, hardly daring to breathe. One of the gardeners had gone up the ladder, hoping to help.
'Now, do you think you can climb down this sheet-rope I've made?' said Margery to the trembling Erica. 'Look ' it should be quite easy.'
'Oh, no, I can't, I can't,' sobbed Erica, terrified. So Margery did a very brave thing. She took Erica on her back, and with the frightened girl clinging tightly to her, her arms holding fast, she began to climb down the sheet-rope herself. Luckily the sheets were new and strong, and they held well.
Down went Margery and down, her arms almost pulled out of their sockets with Erica's weight. She felt with her feet for the ladder, and oh, how thankful she was when at last she felt the top rung, and a loud voice cried, 'Well done, miss! I've got you!:
The gardener at the top of the ladder reached for Erica, and took hold of her. He helped the weeping girl down, and Margery slid down the few remaining feet of the sheet rope.
What happened next nobody ever knew. It was likely that Margery was tired out with her amazing climb and equally amazing rescue, and that her feet slipped on the ladder ' for somehow or other she lost her balance, and half slid, half fell down the ladder. She fell on the gardener, who helped to break her fall a little ' but then she slid right off the ladder to the ground seven or eight feet below.
People rushed to her ' but Margery lay still. She had struck her head against something and was quite unconscious. Careful hands carried her into the big school just as the fire-engine rumbled up with a great clangour of its big bell. In one minute, strong jets of water was pouring on to the flames, and in five minutes the fire was under control.
But the top storey, as Miss Theobald had feared, was entirely burnt our. The room where Erica had been sleeping was a mass of black charred timbers.
The girls were ordered back to bed, and this time they went. But there was one name on every one's lips that night 'the name of a real heroine.
'Margery! Wasn't she wonderful? She saved Erica's life. Fancy her climbing that pipe like that. Let's pray she isn't much hurt. Margery! Well, wasn't she wonderful!'
Chapter 16: A Confession
The next morning every one wanted to know how Margery was. A few remembered to ask about poor Erica, but it was Margery that people worried about.
'She's broken her leg! Poor old Margery! And she's hurt her head too, but not very badly. She's in the dressing-room off Miss Theobald's own bedroom. Miss Theobald is terribly proud of her!'
'I don't wonder!' said Janet, who always intensely admired bravery of any sort. 'I don't care now what Margery has been like for the past few weeks. I've forgotten
it all! A girl who can do a big thing like that can be as rude and sulky as she likes, for all I care!'
'And now I find it more difficult than ever to think that Margery can have played any mean tricks,' said Lucy. 'I simply can't help thinking we made a mistake over that. It must have been some one else! Courage of the sort that Margery showed last night never goes with a mean nature ' never, never, never! It's impossible.'
'I wish we knew for certain,' said Alison, who was now feeling very guilty because she had told Margery's secret, and had let the girls know that she had been expelled from so many schools.
They did know, very soon, who was the guilty one. It was Lucy who found out. She went to see Erica who was in a little room off one of the dormitories, not much the worse for her adventure except that she was very sorry for herself.
Something had happened to Erica besides the fire. She had lain awake all that night, thinking of it ' and thinking of Margery, who had rescued her.
And her conscience had come very much alive! To think that the girl who had so bravely saved her life was the girl who had been taking the blame for Erica's own meanness! Erica's cheeks burned when she thought of it. She wished it had been any other girl but Margery who had rescued her.
Lucy came to see her at the end of morning school. Nobody had been allowed to see Margery, who was to be kept quite quiet for a few days. No one had wanted very much to see Erica ' but kind-hearted Lucy, as usual, thought of the girl lying alone in the little room, and asked Matron if she could see her.
'Yes, of course,' said Matron. 'She's normal this morning and there's nothing wrong with her except a bit of cold and shock. It will do her good to see you.'
&n
bsp; So Lucy went into the little room and sat down beside Erica. They talked for a while, and then Erica asked bout Margery. She did not look at Lucy as she asked, for she felt very guilty.
'Haven't they told you about Margery?' said Lucy, in surprise. 'Oh, poor thing, she's broken her right leg. That means no more gym or games for her for some time ' and as they are the only things she cares about, she's going to have a pretty thin time. She hit her head on something too, but not very badly. She was a
heroine, Erica!'
Erica was terribly upset. She had thought that Margery was quite all right, and had pictured her receiving the praise of the whole school. And now after all she was in bed with a broken leg and a bad head!
Erica turned her face to the wall, trying to think the matter our. She looked so miserable that Lucy was touched. She didn't like Erica, but misery of any kind must be comforted.
She took Erica's hand. 'Don't worry about it,' she said. 'Her leg will mend ' and she will be quite all right again. We are all very proud of her.'
'Do you ' do you still think she did those mean things?' asked Erica, not looking at Lucy.
'No, I don't,' said Lucy at once. 'Those kind of tricks don't go with a strong and fearless nature like Margery's. She's got plenty of faults ' and bad ones too ' but she has no petty, mean faults, as far as I can see.>'
Matron popped her head round the door. 'Come along now, Lucy,' she said. 'Your ten minutes is up.'
'Oh, don't go yet, don't go yet!' said Erica, clutching Lucy's hand, and feeling that she did not want to be left alone with her own thoughts. But Lucy had to.
And then Erica had a very bad time indeed. It is hard enough when any one thinks contemptuously of us ' but far worse if we have to despise ourselves. And that is what poor Erica found herself doing. She saw herself clearly ' a mean, small, spiteful little creature, insincere and dishonest, and she didn't like herself at all.
She turned her face to the wall. She would not et any dinner at all, and Matron took her temperature, feeling worried. But it was still normal.
'Are you worrying about something?' she asked. Erica's eyes filled with tears at the kind voice.
'Yes,' she said desperately. 'I'm worrying terribly. I can't stop.'
'Tell me all about it,' said Matron, gently.
'No,' said Erica, and turned her face to the wall again. But she knew she could not keep all her thoughts to herself much longer. She had to tell some one, she simply had to. She called to Matron as she was going out of the room.
'Matron! I want Lucy!'
'My dear child, she's in class!' said Matron. 'She can come and see you at teatime, if you like.'
Erica burst into floods of tears, and sobbed so heart-rendingly that Matron hurried over to her.
'Whatever is the matter?' she said.
'Matron, fetch Lucy,' sobbed Erica. 'Oh, do fetch Lucy.'
Matron went out of the room and sent some one for Lucy. There was something queer about Erica's face, and the sooner she told somebody what was worrying her, the better! Lucy came along in surprise.
'Erica has something on her mind, Lucy,' said Matron. 'Try to get her to tell you, will you? Her temperature will shoot up and she'll be really ill if she goes on like this.'
Lucy went into the little room and sat down on Erica's bed. Erica had stopped crying, and her face was white and pinched. She stared dry-eyed at Lucy.
'What's up, old girl?' asked Lucy, her kind little face glowing with friendliness.
'Lucy! I've got to tell somebody or I'll go quite mad!' said Erica, desperately. 'I did all those awful things to Pat. It wasn't Margery. It was me.'
'Oh, Erica!' said Lucy, deeply shocked. 'Poor, poor Margery!'
Erica said nothing. She turned her face to the wall again and lay still. She felt ill.
Lucy sat for a moment, taking in what Erica had said. Then with an effort, she took Erica's cold hand. She knew that she must try to be kind to the girl, though she could hardly bring herself to be, because of her pity for what Margery must have gone through.
'Erica! I'm glad you told me. You know that I must tell the others, don't you? We mustn't for one more moment think that Margery did those things. We have accused her most unjustly, and treated her very unfairly. You see that I must tell the others, don't you?'
'Must you?' said Erica, her eyes filling with tears again. 'But how can I face them all, if you do?'
'I don't know, Erica,' said Lucy. 'That's for you to decide. You have been awfully mean and spiteful, Why don't you tell Miss Theobald, now that you've told me, and see what she says?'
'No, I daren't tell her,' said Erica, trembling as she thought of Miss Theobald's stern face. 'You tell her, Lucy. Oh, Lucy ' I want to leave here. I've done so badly. Nobody has ever liked me much ' and nobody will ever, ever like me now. And there won't be a chance for me to try properly if nobody feels friendly towards me. I'm a coward, you know. I can't stand up to things.'
'I know,' said Lucy, gravely. 'But sooner or later, you'll have to learn to face things that come along, Erica, and you'll have to get that meanness and spite out of your character, or you'll never be happy. I'll see Miss Theobald. Now don't worry too much. I'm very glad you told me all you did.'
Lucy left Erica to her thoughts. She went to Matron. 'Matron,' she said. 'Erica has told me what's worrying her ' but it's something that I ought to tell Miss Theobald. Can I go now?'
'Of course,' said Matron, thinking that Lucy Oriell was one of the nicest girls who had ever come to St. Clare's. 'Hurry along now. I'll send a message to Miss Roberts for you.'
And so it came about that Lucy went to Miss Theobald with Erica's guilty secret, and related it all to the Head Mistress in her clear, friendly little voice. Miss Theobald listened gravely, not interrupting her at all.
'So Margery was accused wrongly,' she said. 'Poor Margery! She is a most unlucky child! But she did behave amazingly last night. What a plucky girl she is! She has two sides to her character ' and the finer side came out very strongly yesterday.'
'Miss Theobald, we know that Margery has been expelled from many schools,' said Lucy, looking the Head straight in the eyes. 'And we have guessed that the mistresses have been asked to be lenient with her to give her a chance at St. Clare's. And although I'm a new girl too I do see that any girl with a bad record would have a fine chance here to do better, because there's a wonderful spirit in this school. I've felt it and loved it. I'm so very glad my parents chose this school to send me to.'
Miss Theobald looked at Lucy's honest and sincere face. She smiled one of her rare sweet smiles.
'And I too am glad that your parents sent you here,' she said. 'You are the type of girl that helps to make the spirit of the school a living powerful thing, Lucy.'
Lucy flushed with pleasure, and felt very happy. Miss Theobald went back to the matter they had been discussing.
'Now we have to decide one or two things,' she said, and at that word 'we', Lucy felt proud and delighted. To think that she and Miss Theobald together were going to decide things!
'About Margery. You shall go and see her and tell her what you have told me. She must know as soon as possible that you have all been wrong about her, and that you know it and are sorry. She must know it was Erica too. How strange that girl she rescued should be the girl who did her so much wrong! Erica must have felt very upset about it.'
'This will make a great difference to Margery,' said Lucy, her eyes shining. 'Every one will think of her as a heroine now, instead of as a sulky, rude girl. What a chance for Margery!'
'Yes ' I think things may be easier for her now,' said Miss Theobald. 'You may have guessed that Margery's home is not quite a normal one, Lucy, and that has made things hard for her. I can't tell you any more. You must just be content with that! And now ' what about Erica?'
They looked at one another gravely, and Lucy felt pride swell up in her as she saw Miss Theobald trusted her opinion.
'Miss Theobald ' things won't be easier for Erica,' sai
d Lucy. 'She's awfully weak, you know. She won't be able to stand up to the girls' unfriendliness after this. If only she could, it would be the making of her. But I'm quite sure she can't. I think it would be better for her to go away and start all over again at another school. I don't mean expel her in disgrace ' but couldn't something be arranged?'
'Yes, of course,' said the Head Mistress. 'I can explain things to her mother ' she has no father, you know ' and suggest to Erica goes home for the rest of the term, and then is sent to a fresh new school in the summer ' perhaps with the determination to do a great deal better! Poor Erica! What a good thing she at least had the courage to tell you.'