L. T. Meade

“ Lucy is the only wife I shall ever have. I have, thank God, my sister and my sweet girls, and I do not want anything more. I am a widower for life. Cecilia is a widow for life. We rejoice in the thought of meeting the dear departed in a happier world. Now try not to pain me any more. Good-night, Agnes. You are a little—nay, more than a little—trying.'
'I've not an idea of going to bed yet,' said Miss Delacour, 'for I have not divulged my scheme. You have got to listen to it, George, whether you like it or not.'
'I suppose I have,' said George Lennox. ”

“ They were monsters beckoning them to destruction. The light, too, of the full moon—for it would be full moon that night—would add to the terrors of Lightning Speed. That intense white world would be as terrifying to him as the blackness of the gorge and the sudden awful gap over which he was expected to leap.
Now the prizes were to be presented to the girls of the school by the great Duke himself, and Mrs Macintyre assumed that the three or four young maids who were to perform their deeds of daring would choose the daytime for the display of their courage. ”

“ How ridiculous to call any human being by such a name! But then it wasn't her real name; her name was Jacqueline. She, Lady Leucha, would certainly not call her Hollyhock, or prickly Holly, or anything of that sort. She would call her Jack and Jacko, and tease her as much as possible. She had certainly spoken of the ghost in her ridiculous Scotch accent, but Leucha Villiers, after careful consideration, determined not to be afraid of pure nonsense. Was there ever a girl in creation who dried a ghost's dripping hair? ”

“ You seem devoted to your home.'
'I'm Scots,' replied Jasmine; 'and to the Scots there are no people like the Scots.'
'Oh, do, do watch her!' suddenly exclaimed Lady Leucha. 'Barbara, do you see—Dorothy, do you see?—she's walking up and down on the terrace with that ugly Mary Barton and that nobody, Agnes Featherstonhaugh. Why, Nancy Greenfield and Jane Calvert are hopping round her just as though they were magpies on one leg.'
'Why should she not talk to those girls? They are very nice,' said Jasmine. ”

“ Of course, it was supposed to be the work of Leucha, and perhaps in a measure it was; for when a very warm heart longs for one thing, and that thing is denied her by passion, ill-temper, and spite, and then at the critical moment—the most critical moment of all—is given to her, the effect cannot but be immense. It began by a great soothing, a happy light in the troubled eyes, a smile round the sweet, nobly formed lips, the words coming again and yet again, 'Leuchy, Leuchy, I have got you, after all!'
In less than a week Hollyhock was quite out of danger. She recognised her father ”

“ I won't stay here long,' muttered Leucha. 'If you think I am going to eat humble pie to that Hollyhock, you are mistaken, Mrs Macintyre.'
Mrs Macintyre was silent for a moment; then she spoke.
'I am sorry. A nobler nature would have taken the thing as a joke; but you, alas! are the reverse of noble. You have a small nature, Leucha, and you must struggle against it with all your might if you are to do any good in life.'
'I am not accustomed to being spoken to in that strain,' said Leucha. ”

“ The intense unhappiness of her mind caused her to be most freakish in her behaviour, to tell impossible ghost-stories, and as she could not sleep at nights and was really not at all well, to spend her time in planning fresh plots for the annoyance of Leucha.
Hollyhock, with all her loving nature, was also most defiant and most daring, and there were few things she would pause at to punish the English girl.
How queer is life! These two girls loved each other, and yet neither would succumb, neither would yield to the desires of the other. ”

“ Lennox was silent.
'George,' said Agnes, 'you're sulky.'
'Doubtless I am. Most men would be who are cajoled as I have been into paying the rent of that horrid house. Yes, you are a clever woman, Agnes; but I can tell you once for all that not a single one of my Flowers of the Garden shall enter that school if I do not approve of the head-mistress.'
'I said you were sulky,' repeated Miss Delacour. 'A sulky man is almost as unpleasant as a fidgety man.'
'To tell you frankly, Agnes, I keenly dislike being played the fool with. You saw Cecilia Constable this morning. ”

“ A more beautiful live ghost could not be seen than Meg Drummond. She did look a fearsome thing. I have put the old cloak and the Cameron's cocked hat in a wee oak trunk in the ghost's hut. Here is the key of the trunk, Jasmine. You run along and lock it. Now run, run, for I hear Leucha twisting and turning in her sleep. I must get back to her. You manage Meg, and lock the trunk, and we are all right—that we are.'
Jasmine felt, on the contrary, that they were all wrong; but, overcome by Hollyhock's superior strength, she obeyed her young, wild sister to the letter. ”

“ Curfew heaved another heavy sigh and lay closer to Tocsin, and with a smaller portion of his tail on Hollyhock's dress.
Now the olden custom at The Garden and The Paddock—that lovely custom which had suddenly ceased—was music, dancing, games, fun, shrieks of laughter from Precious Stones and Flower Girls, the hearty peal of a man's voice when he was thoroughly enjoying himself, the gentle, restrained merriment of a lady. This lady was Mrs Constable, who was now going to be a kindergarten teacher, forsooth! And this man was Dumpy Dad, who was going to be an agent, indeed! ”

“ The poor thing is so frightened, she doesn't know what she's doing. I feel, somehow, my whole heart drawn out to her. Leave her to me, for goodness' sake, Jasmine. I'm just quieting her off. She's too excited to talk about the ghost any more to-night.'
'I 've seen the ghost—the real ghost,' said Leucha, looking with hollow eyes at Jasmine. 'He does walk, and he's very tall, and has skeleton hands and a skeleton face; and he asked me—me—to dry his wet hair!'
'Oh, do leave us alone now!' said Hollyhock. ”

“ But Leucha would not say the word, although, strange as it may seem, she also, down deep in her heart, was longing for Hollyhock, longing as she had never longed for a human being before. She had been brought up in a stiff, cold home, by a stiff, cold mother, and it was hard for her to go against her nature. The girls of Ardshiel were altogether on the side of Hollyhock, and Leucha was more lonely than ever. Her angry boast that she would write to her mother and ask to be taken from the school she had certainly not courage enough to carry out. ”

“ Meanwhile Holly, absorbed in helping the other girls to make the time pass as pleasantly as possible, and in doing mysterious things on Sunday with Lightning Speed, also forgot Leucha for the time being. Whenever she did think of her she was sorry for her; but she had not time to think much of any single person just at present. The horse, the darling horse, the Arab, the treasure of her life, must be trained to the task which lay before him. Hollyhock had the knack of making all animals love her, and the pure-bred Arab is noted for being a most affectionate creature. ”

“ It is true that when she touched her forehead she felt it feverishly hot, but she could not be in any way ill; that was impossible. She had never looked better, and looks would sometimes show signs of illness. How bad, for instance, poor Leuchy had looked after she, Hollyhock, had played the prank on her; how withered up, like an apple all overripe—her eyes so dim, her scanty locks so faded! Well, she must not think of Leuchy now; only she would have been a little happier if Leuchy had given her the kiss she had asked for. ”

“ Would she give up her sport and her fun and her joy, her pleasures, for one like you?'
'I 'm the daughter of the Earl of Crossways,' said Leucha.
'Well,' answered Jasper, 'I can't say much for his daughter. I tell you frankly and truly, Leucha, that if you were a brave lass and well-bred, you 'd take a joke as a joke, and think no more about it; but, being what you are, I have little hope of you. It's the best thing that could have happened to Hollyhock to have got rid of one like you. You are not fit to hold a candle to her. I have no liking for you, and now I'm going back to the Annex. ”

“ I love no one in the world as I love you!'
'Well, you have said it for the last time,' thought poor Hollyhock to herself. Her little victory, her little triumph, was at an end, for Hollyhock knew Leucha far too well to believe for an instant that she would forgive a horrible hoax played upon her.
If Meg Drummond was a cold, severe-looking girl, she was not nearly so severe or so cold as her mother. Mrs Drummond, accompanied by her daughter, entered the great hall, where prayers were to be said, with a face of icy marble. Proud indeed was she in spirit; determined was she in action. ”

“ She came, therefore, to The Garden determined to leave the matter, as she said, to Providence; whereas, in reality, she left it to George Lennox and his sister, Mrs Constable.
At any cost these people must do their parts. Be they faddists, or be they not, their children must be saved. Could there in all the world be a more horrible girl than Hollyhock—or, as her real name was, Jacqueline? Even Lucy (always called Jasmine) was an impertinent little thing; but what could you expect from such a man as George Lennox? ”

“ Perhaps, dear, you had best kiss me and say good-night.'
'Daddy—daddy—I 'm so—miserable!'
'Sorry, my child; but I can't see why you should be. You have all the comforts that love and sympathy can bestow upon you.'
'No, no; I am alone,' half sobbed Hollyhock.
'Don't get hysterical, my child. That is really very bad for you; but, anyhow, I 've no time to waste now over a little girl who is surrounded by blessings.'
'If Daddy Dumps goes on much longer in that strain I shall absolutely begin to hate him,' thought the furious child. ”

“ A fortnight with so much excitement in the air passes very quickly. The girls felt this excitement, although they did not talk of it one to the other.
Leucha sat alone when she was not engaged at her school tasks, and made her essay on the kitchen cat as venomous as she knew how. Luckily for poor Leucha, she had not the ability to do much in the way of sarcasm, and although every single girl in the school must know at a glance that this feeble caricature was meant for their beloved Hollyhock, it would certainly not injure the dear Hollyhock in the least. ”

“ I can't abide them, or you. Get away, will you, and leave me in peace!—Jean, poor beastie! And do you love your little mistress? You are the only one I have got, Jean, my bonnie pussie; the only one who, like myself, is faithful and true.'
It was just at that moment, when Jean had sunk into placid slumber and the Flower Girls were intending to leave the room, that there came a gentle, very gentle, knock at the door.
'Who can be there now?' said Hollyhock. 'Whoever it is will wake the cat.— There, my bonnie beastie, sleep away. ”

“ Lady Leucha was not specially clever, but she was what might be called 'cute,' and although during her first week at school she had had no special desire to push herself forward in any way whatsoever, yet now that Hollyhock—or, rather, Jack—had come, she was fully determined to crush her, if not by guile, then by other means. She, a young lady of distinction, could not stand such impudence; she, the daughter of the Earl of Crossways, would not be bullied by a mere nobody like Jacko. ”

“ Don't fear for me, Mrs Macintyre,' said Leucha. 'I 'm not quite such a fool as you think me, and I certainly will sit in the hall with the other girls, and, if possible, put Holly to shame.'
'That I strictly forbid,' said Mrs Macintyre. 'A game is a game; a charade is a charade. While the acting proceeds no looker-on must interfere except under my intense displeasure. In fact, my dear Leucha, after what I have said, I shall write to your mother asking her to remove you from the school, unless you promise not to make any fuss or show any fear to-night. ”

“ You are certain sure to fail, but conceit will have its way.'
'Dear, dear,' thought Daisy Watson, 'what a very unpleasant girl Leucha is becoming! I 'd leave her this blessed minute and go over to Hollyhock, only perhaps Lady Crossways might be angry. Leucha gets more like her mother each day—a kind of sneering look about her face, which really gives her a most disagreeable expression. But friendship is friendship, and I won't forsake her if I can help it.'
So Daisy flew to the Summer Parlour, which was just perceptible in the twilight. No place could look more cold and comfortless ”

“ Mrs Constable's school, her Annex, was filling fast with the bonniest boys that England and Scotland could produce.
Mr Lennox kept a holiday for the great occasion, and on Saturday night there were high jinks at The Garden. The only one of that happy party who felt, in spite of herself, a little anxious, a little nervous, was Jasmine, for she could not help being concerned about the defiant expression in the bright eyes of Hollyhock. She thought of Holly notwithstanding all the fun and the merriment, but the delight of talking again to her dear brother-cousin Jasper dispelled her fears. ”

“ There is no one to me like you, George, but women can see things which men cannot. It seems to me that Miss Delacour is a woman with a great heart, and she has taken pains to propound to me a scheme which I consider most noble. In fact, I fully agree with her in the matter. I cannot help doing so. Our children, our dear children, George, require by now to be taught the great things of the world. ”

“ Certainly Aunt Cecilia had a winning way. She was always remarkable for that. She could fight her cause with any one—with man, woman, or child; and she could fight it in the best possible way, by not fighting it at all, by simply leaving the matter in the hands of Almighty Love, by just breathing a gentle prayer for Divine guidance and then going bravely forward.
This plan of hers had supported her when her beloved husband was killed in battle; when her bonnie laddies, her Precious Stones, were sent to Mrs Macintyre's school ”

“ How could she love them?'
'Agnes, I try hard not to lose my temper; but if you go on much longer in your present vein of talk, I greatly fear that it will depart.'
'Then let it depart,' said Miss Delacour. 'Anything to rouse the man who is going so madly, so cruelly, to work with regard to his family. Now then, let me see. I am ever and always one who walks straight. I am ever and always one who has an aim in view. My present aim is to help another. There is a dear woman—a Mrs Macintyre—true Scotch. ”

“ Firmer and firmer did Hollyhock support her trembling companion, and the girl who hated her, but who clung to her so tightly at that moment, entered the house with Hollyhock's arms about her.
There were a number of girls in the great hall—the most magnificent hall in the country.
'Poor thing!' said Hollyhock, 'the ghostie walks this night, and I must run to dry his wet locks; but get something hot for Leuchy to drink, and comfort her all you can, lassies. A Scots ghost—my word! he had no right to beg for the services of a maid from England. ”

“ The kitchen cat was a very gentle beastie, except in the matter of killing birds and mice. She had the usual fascination of her species where these small victims were concerned; and she enjoyed life in the way cats do, eating when hungry, and sleeping the rest of her days. She slept now with the greatest comfort under the silken eider-down quilt. She rejoiced in the welcome warmth and purred softly to herself, not even troubling to regard the saucer of cream until she had had her snooze. By-and-by she would attack her cream, being partial to that beverage ”

“ All was indeed going smoothly, and all would have gone smoothly to the end but for the jealous temperament of Margaret Drummond. For a time she had remained faithful to Hollyhock, but, as she said to Jasmine, the immortal soul in her breast troubled her, and as the days went by and jealousy grew apace that immortal soul troubled her more and more. The final straw came in an unlooked-for and unfortunate way. Leucha had been asked to spend from Saturday to Monday at The Garden, and on the following Saturday Margaret Drummond was to accompany the Flower Girls to their home. ”