Lucy left the Head Mistress feeling contented. It was good to know that some one wise and kindly had the handling of matters such as these. By this time it was teatime and Lucy went to the dining-hall feeling terribly hungry.
'Where have you been?' cried a dozen voices, as she came in. 'You missed painting ' and you love that!'
'Oh, dear ' so I did,' said Lucy, sadly. 'I forgot about that. Well ' I couldn't help it.'
'But, Lucy, where have you een and what have you been doing?' asked Pat. 'Do tell us! You look all excited somehow.'
'I've heard some interesting things,' said Lucy, helping herself to bread and butter and jam. 'I'll tell you in the common room after tea. I'm just too hungry to talk now. You must just wait!'
Chapter 17: Help for Margery
The first- and second-formers crowded into their common room after tea, eager to hear what Lucy had to say. They knew quite well it was something exciting.
Luct sat on a table and told them everything in her clear, calm voice. There were many interruptions, for the girls were intensely angry when they heard that it was Erica who had spoilt Pat's jumper and books ' and had allowed the blame to rest on Margery.
'The beast! The hateful beast!:
'I'd like to pull all her hair out! I do feel a mean pig to think I blamed poor old Margery!'
'Oh, the spiteful creature! I'll never speak to her again as long as I live!'
'Just wait till she comes back to class! I'll give her an awful time. And to think that Margery broke her leg rescuing that mean creature!'
'Now listen,' said Lucy, trying to stop the yells and shouts. 'Do LISTEN! I've got something else to say.'
Every one was quiet. Lucy then told them that Erica was to go home ' not to be expelled in disgrace, but simply to go home and start again somewhere else. 'And let's hope she's learnt her lesson and won't be quite so mean in future,' said Lucy,
'She'd learn her lesson all right if only Miss Theobald made her come back into class,' said Janet, grimly.
'Yes, but she'd learn it in the wrong way,' argued Lucy. 'She'd just be scared and frightened out of her life, and terribly miserable. And honestly nobody can ever do much good if they are scared and unhappy.'
'Lucy is always for giving the under-dog a chance!' said Pat, giving Lucy a warm hug. 'You're a good sort, Lucy, old thing. You're quite right, of course.'
And so it came about that Erica was not seen again at St. Clare's, except once by Lucy who went to say goodbye to her. That was two days later when Erica was up again, looking pale and unhappy. She was glad to be going away ' but dreaded all that her mother would say.
'Now you just tell your mother honestly that you've been a mean and spiteful girl,' said Lucy. 'And tell her you know it and you're going to start all over again and be just the opposite. You can, you know! Write to me next term and tell me how you're getting on.'
So poor, mean little Erica disappeared from St. Clare's to start again somewhere else. Nobody missed her, and nobody waved to her as she went down the school drive in a taxi with her trunks. She had made her own punishment, which is always much harder to bear than any other.
'How's Margery getting on?' Matron was asked a dozen times a day, and at last in despair she put up a bulletin on her door, which read: ' 'Margery is getting on nicely.'
'Golly! Just like royalty!' said Janet, when she saw the bulletin. 'You know ' when the king is ill they put a notice outside the gate about him.'
Lucy and Pat were the first two allowed to see Margery. They brought flowers and grapes and went into the cosy little dressing-room, which was lighted by a dancing fire.
'Hallo, old girl!' said Pat, presenting the flowers. 'How's the heroine?'
'Don't be an idiot!' said Margery. 'Oh, what glorious daffodils! And oh, how did you know that my favourite grapes were those big purple ones!'
'Here's something from Isabel,' said Pat, bringing out a jigsaw puzzle. 'And Janet sent you this. Everybody's got something for you, but Matron won't allow too much at once.'
Margery flushed with pleasure. She looked at the jigsaw from Isabel and the book from Janet. She forgot the pain in her leg in her delight at being spoilt like this.
'How's Erica?' she asked.
'She's gone,' said Lucy. 'She's not coming back again.'
'Gone!' said Margery, startled. 'Why? Is she ill?'
'No,' said Lucy. 'She's gone because she couldn't face the school now that they know it was she who ruined Pat's jumper and spoilt her books.'
Margery stared in the utmost amazement. 'But you said it was I who did those things,' she said. 'How did you find out it was Erica?'
Lucy told her. 'And we all owe you a humble apology for being so unjust,' she said. 'Please accept it, Margery. We will make it up to you when you are out and about again.'
Margery seldom cried, but the tears came shining into her eyes now. She blinked them away in shame. She did not know what to say for a minute.
'Well, I don't wonder you thought I was the one who did those spiteful things,' she said at last. 'I've been so awful. And it's perfectly true I've been expelled from about six schools for rudeness and sulkiness. But you see ' nobody cares about me at home ' and I'm so miserable, and I'm always badly-behaved when I'm miserable.'
'Don't tell us if you don't want to,' said Lucy. 'But if it's going to help ' do tell us. We'll understand, you may be sure.'
'Well ' there's nothing much to tell, really, I suppose,' said Margery, looking into Lucy's friendly eyes. 'It's probably my own silly fault. You see ' my mother died when I was little. She was such a darling. And my father married again and my step-mother didn't like me. She said awful things about me to my father and he ticked me off like anything. I ' I loved him awfully ' I still do, of course. I'd give anything in the world to make him have a good opinion of me. He's so marvellous.'
Margery stopped and bit her lip. The others said nothing.
'My stepmother had three boys, and my father was wanted boys. So I was pushed into the background And of course I got worse and worse and more and gave me stepmother a bad time, I was so rude and angry. So I'm the black sheep of the family, and about anything at all.'
terribly pleased. He always and made to feel I wasn't wanted. more unbearable, I suppose. I hateful. And that made my father I just got to feel I didn't care
'And so you were sent to boarding-school and went on being unpleasant there,' said Lucy, taking Margery's big strong hand in her little one. 'Oh, Margery ' I'm terribly sorry. You haven't had a chance.'
'But won't your father be awfully bucked when he hears how you rescued Erica!' cried Pat.
'I shan't tell him,' said Margery. 'He won't know. He wouldn't believe it if anyone did tell him! He thinks I'm no use at all. You know, he's wonderful ' so brave and courageous. He climbed Mount Everest.'
'Golly!' cried Pat, in astonishment. 'I say, he must be marvellous ' and you take after him, don't you? You are so strong, and so good at games and gym ' and so frightfully brave too.'
Margery's eyes suddenly lighted up. She lay looking up at Pat as if Pat had said something simply miraculous.
'I never, never thought of that before,' she said. 'But I believe I do take after him! It's lovely to think that. Yes ' I'm awfully strong 'and I suppose I am brave too, though that's not much to my credit really, because strong people ought always to be brave. Oh, you made me happy by saying that, Pat. I think my father
would think a lot more of me if he knew I was like him!'
Matron came in as the conversation reached this interesting point. She was pleased to see Margery's happy face. 'You've done her good,' she said. 'But you must go now. My word, what lovely flowers! Tell Isabel that she and Janet can come tomorrow, Lucy.'
The two of them said good-bye and went out. Pat caught hold of Lucy's arm as soon as they were outside the door. Her eyes were bright.
'Lucy! Oh, Lucy! I've got a most marvellous idea.'
'What?' asked Lucy.
'Listen!' said Pa
t. 'You know that there's a picture of Margery in the local paper, don't you ' and a long bit telling all about how she saved Erica? Well ' I'm going to cut that out and send it to Margery's father ' with a letter telling all about her and how very proud we are of her at St. Clare's!'
'I say ' that really is a good idea!' said Lucy. 'I wish I'd thought of it. We can get the address from Miss Theobald. My word ' that will make Margery's father sit up a bit ' to think that St. Clare's is so proud of her! That will be a bit different from the opinion of the other schools she's been to. Well ' it's time Margery had a bit of luck. I expect it was partly her own fault she didn't get on with her stepmother, because she is difficult ' but the treatment she had at home only turned her from bad to worse. How silly some parents are! When I think of my own ' so kind and understanding ' I feel jolly sorry for Margery.'
After this long speech the two girls said nothing till they reached the common room. Then Pat took the local paper and snipped out the paragraph about 'Brave Schoolgirl Heroine' with Margery's picture.
'What are you doing?' asked Isabel, curiously.
'I'll tell you but no one else,' said Pat. So she told Isabel, and she and her twin and Lucy set to work to compose the letter to Margery's father.
DEAR MR. FENWORTHY,
We know that you are a very brave man, because Margery has told us about you. Perhaps you have heard how brave Margery is too, though you may not have been told all the details. Well, here they are. Margery climbed up an iron pipe to the window-sill of a burning room, and rescued a girl called Erica. She tore sheets into strips and tied them to the bed. She climbed down them with Erica over her shoulder. She fell from the ladder and broke her leg and hurt her head. She saved Erica's life, and is a real heroine. Margery is awfully strong. You should see her at gym, and she is almost the best in the school already at games. She won the last match for St. Clare's. We think that she must take after you, because we are quite sure she is already strong and courageous enough to climb mountains or anything like that. She is getting a bit better now, but we think she is rather lonely, so it would be lovely if you had enough time to spare to come and see her. We are all as proud of her as we can be, and we hope she will stay at St. Clare's till she leaves school altogether. We thought you ought to know all this so that you could be proud of her too.
With kind regards
from three of Margery's friends.
PAT AND ISABEL O'SULLIVAN, and LUCY ORIELL.
The girls were quite pleased with this letter, and they posted it off the same day. It had an immediate effect ' for the next day Margery had a telegram that excited her very much. It was from her father.
'Very, very proud of you. Coming to see you today. Love from Daddy.'
Margery showed the telegram to Isabel and told her to tell Pat and Lucy. 'I'm so happy,' she kept saying. 'I'm so awfully happy. Fancy my father soaring the time to come and see me. He's proud of me too! It's simply marvellous!'
The girls watched eagerly for Margery's father to arrive. He was a fine-looking man, tall, broad-shouldered and good-looking. He was very like Margery. He was shown into Miss Theobald's room, and then taken to Margery.
What happened between Margery and her father nobody ever knew for certain, for Margery guarded her precious secret jealously. She could not even tell Lucy of those wonderful minutes when her father had taken her into his arms and praised her and loved her. Everything had come right. She had at last what she wanted and had missed so much, and in a few short minutes all that was best in Margery's character came up to the surface ' and stayed there.
'Pat ' Isabel ' Lucy ' you wrote to my father!' said Margery, next day, her eyes shining brightly. 'He showed me your letter. You're dears, all of you. It's made all the difference in the world! He didn't know a bit what I was like ' and now he does ' and he's terribly pleased to know I am so exactly like him! I'm going mountaineering with him next hols.! Think of that! And he's going to let me stay on at St. Clare's, and then, when I'm eighteen, I'm to go to a training college to train to be a games-mistress. I've always wanted to do that.'
'Margery ' you do look different!' said Pat, marvelling at the glow in Margery's good looking face. All the sullenness was gone.
'I'll be able to work well and happily now,' said Margery. 'I shan't be at the bottom of the form any more!'
'No, you'll be shot up into the top form, I expect, and send for us poor firstformers to make your tea and clean your boots!' laughed Lucy. 'Don't you get too swollen-headed, my girl! You'll hear about it from Janet, if you do!'
Chapter 18: Bad Luck for Lucy
Margery was allowed to hop about on one leg fairly soon, with crutches. Although she had to miss games and gym she didn't fret at all. Nothing seemed to matter to her now, she was so contented and happy. She worked well, and the mistresses began to like this new, cheerful Margery.
Lucy and she made firm friends. Margery could not do enough for the merry, friendly Lucy, who only came up to her friend's shoulder. They were always together, and it was good to hear them joking and laughing.
'Lucy ought always to be happy,' said Pat, as she watched her helping Margery down
the passage with her crutches. 'There's something simply lovely about her ' she's one of those people you just can't help liking.'
'Well, there's no reason why she shouldn't be happy,' said Isabel. 'She's got a lovely mother ' and a famous father ' and she's very clever and pretty. She just loves St. Clare's too. She told me yesterday that she means to be its head-girl someday. I bet she will too.'
But ill-fortune came swiftly to poor Lucy the next week. A telegram came to Miss Theobald and Lucy was sent for out of the history class. She went to the Head Mistress's study, feeling rather frightened. What was the matter?
Miss Theobald was looking grave. She held out her hand to Lucy as the girl came in, and drew her to her.
'Lucy,' she said, 'I have some rather bad news for you. Can you be brave?'
'Yes, said Lucy, her lip trembling. 'Tell me quickly.'
'Your father has been in a motor accident,' said Miss Theobald. 'He is badly hurt. He wants you to go to him.'
'He won't ' die ' will he?' said Lucy, her face very white.
'I hope not,' said Miss Theobald. 'Go and ask one of the girls to help you pack a small bag, and then I will take you to the station. I'm sorry, my dear ' but things may not be so bad as they appear. Be brave.'
Lucy Lucy 'You what
hurried off and asked Margery to help her. The bigger girl was unhappy to see so upset. She put her arm round her and hugged her. 'Cheer up,' she said. may find things are all right. I'll pack your bag for you. Just you tell me you want to take.'
Very soon poor white-faced Lucy was driving to the station with Miss Theobald. The first-formers were sad and subdued, and Margery missed her friend terribly. It seemed all wrong that anything like this should happen to merry, friendly Lucy.
'I'm going to pray hard for Lucy's father,' said Janet. 'As hard as I can.'
All the girls did the same, and thought a great deal of Lucy and wondered what was happening. Margery had a letter in four or five days. She told the others what it said.
'Lucy's father is out of danger,' she said. 'But an awful thing has happened to him. He'll never be able to use his right hand properly again ' and he's a painter!'
The girls listened in dismay. 'It's terribly hard luck on him,' said Margery, 'and hard luck on Lucy too ' because if he can't make money by his portrait-painting, there won't be any! So Lucy won't be able to stay on at St. Clare's.'
'What a shame!' cried Tessie. 'She's the nicest girl that ever came here!'
'And she had planned to be head-girl one day,' said Pat. 'Oh, gosh ' what bad luck! Poor old Lucy. She must be so terribly upset about her father ' and then to see all her future changed in a moment like that ' it must be terrible.'
'She'll have to leave school and take a job, I suppose,' said Hilary. 'St. Clare's expensive. What a pity she can't win a scholarsh
ip or something.'
'She could if she was in the third form,' said Tessie. 'There's a scholarship set there, sitting for an exam. at the end of next term 'and the winner has the right to go to one of a dozen special schools, free of fees.'
'But Lucy is only in the first form,' said Pat. 'Oh dear ' I wish something could be done. Margery, is she coming back this term at all?'
'Yes, when her father leaves the nursing home in two days' time,' said Margery, looking at the letter. 'We mustn't be all over her when she comes back. That would only upset her. Let's be quite ordinary and friendly. She'll know we are feeling for her all right.'