Five Little Peppers at School Part 26

"If you could wipe my hands first, young ladies," sticking out those members, on which were plentiful supplies of marmalade and jelly cake, "I should be much obliged. Never mind the gown yet," she added with asperity.

"I'll do that," cried Alexia, flying at her with two or three napkins.

"Alexia, keep your seat." Miss Anstice turned on her. "It is quite bad enough, without your heedless fingers at work on it."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "I NEVER DID REGARD PICNICS AS PLEASANT AFFAIRS," GASPED MISS ANSTICE.]

"I won't touch the old thing," declared Alexia, in a towering pa.s.sion, and forgetting it was not one of the girls. "And I may be heedless, but I _can_ be polite," and she threw down the napkins, and turned her back on the whole thing.

"Alexia!" cried Polly, turning very pale; and, rushing up to her, she bore her away under the trees. "Why, Alexia Rhys, you've talked awfully to Miss Anstice--just think, the sister of our Miss Salisbury!"

"Was that old thing a Salisbury?" asked Alexia, quite unmoved. "I thought it was a rude creature that didn't know what it was to have good manners."

"Alexia, Alexia!" mourned Polly, and for the first time in Alexia's remembrance wringing her hands, "to think you should do such a thing!"

Alexia, seeing Polly wring her hands, felt quite aghast at herself.

"Polly, don't do that," she begged.

"Oh, I can't help it." And Polly's tears fell fast.

Alexia gave her one look, as she stood there quite still and pale, unable to stop the tears racing over her cheeks, turned, and fled with long steps back to the crowd of girls surrounding poor Miss Anstice, Miss Salisbury herself wiping the linen gown with an old napkin in her deft fingers.

"I beg your pardon," cried Alexia gustily, and plunging up unsteadily.

"I was bad to say such things."

"You were, indeed," a.s.sented Miss Anstice tartly. "Sister, that is quite enough; the gown cannot possibly be made any better with your incessant rubbing."

Miss Salisbury gave a sigh, and got up from her knees, and put down the napkin. Then she looked at Alexia. "She is very sorry, sister," she said gently. "I am sure Alexia regrets exceedingly her hasty speech."

"Hasty?" repeated Miss Anstice, with acrimony, "it was quite impertinent; and I cannot remember when one of our young ladies has done such a thing."

All the blood in Alexia's body seemed to go to her sallow cheeks when she heard that. That she should be the first and only Salisbury girl to be so bad, quite overcame her, and she looked around for Polly Pepper to help her out. And Polly, who had followed her up to the group, begged, "Do, dear Miss Anstice, forgive her." And so did all the girls, even those who did not like Alexia one bit, feeling sorry for her now. Miss Anstice relented enough to say, "Well, we will say no more about it; I dare say you did not intend to be impertinent." And then they all sat down again, and everybody tried to be as gay as possible while the feast went on.

And by the time they sang the "Salisbury School Songs,"--for they had several very fine ones, that the different cla.s.ses had composed,--there was such a tone of good humor prevailing, everybody getting so very jolly, that no one looking on would have supposed for a moment that a single unpleasant note had been struck. And Miss Anstice tried not to look at her gown; and Miss Salisbury had a pretty pink tinge in her cheeks, and her eyes were blue and serene, without the tired look that often came into them.

"Now for the story--oh, that is the best of all!" exclaimed Polly Pepper, when at last, protesting that they couldn't eat another morsel, they all got up from the feast, leaving it to the maids.

"Isn't it!" echoed the girls. "Oh, dear Miss Salisbury, I _am_ so glad it is time for you to tell it." All of which pleased Miss Salisbury very much indeed, for it was the custom at this annual festival to wind up the afternoon with a story by the princ.i.p.al, when all the girls would gather at her feet to listen to it, as she sat in state in her stone chair.

"Is it?" she cried, the pink tinge on her cheek getting deeper. "Well, do you know, I think I enjoy, as much as my girls, the telling of this annual story."

"Oh, you can't enjoy it _as much_," said one impulsive young voice.

Miss Salisbury smiled indulgently at her. "Well, now, if you are ready, girls, I will begin."

"Oh, yes, we are--we are," the bright groups, scattered on the gra.s.s at her feet, declared.

"To-day I thought I would tell you of my school days when I was as young as you," began Miss Salisbury.

"Oh--oh!"

"Miss Salisbury, I just love you for that!" exclaimed the impulsive girl, and jumping out of her seat, she ran around the groups to the stone chair. "I do, Miss Salisbury, for I did so want to hear all about when you were a schoolgirl."

"Well, go back to your place, f.a.n.n.y, and you shall hear a little of my school life," said Miss Salisbury gently.

"No--no; the whole of it," begged f.a.n.n.y earnestly, going slowly back.

"My dear child, I could not possibly tell you the whole," said Miss Salisbury, smiling; "it must be one little picture of my school days."

"Do sit down, f.a.n.n.y," cried one of the other girls impatiently; "you are hindering it all."

So f.a.n.n.y flew back to her place, and Miss Salisbury without any more interruptions, began:

"You see, girls, you must know to begin with, that our father--sister's and mine--was a clergyman in a small country parish; and as there were a great many mouths to feed, and young, growing minds to feed as well, besides ours, why there was a great deal of considering as to ways and means constantly going on at the parsonage. Well, as I was the eldest, of course the question came first, what to do with Amelia."

"Were you Amelia?" asked f.a.n.n.y.

"Yes. Well, after talking it over a great deal,--and I suspect many sleepless nights spent by my good father and mother,--it was at last decided that I should be sent to boarding school; for I forgot to tell you, I had finished at the academy."

"Yes; sister was very smart," broke in Miss Anstice proudly--"she won't tell you that; so I must."

"Oh sister, sister," protested Miss Salisbury.

"Yes, she excelled all the boys and girls."

"Did they have boys at that school?" interrupted Philena, in amazement.

"Oh, how very nice, Miss Salisbury!"

"I should just love to go to school with boys," declared ever so many of the girls ecstatically.

"Why don't you take boys at our school, Miss Salisbury?" asked Silvia longingly.

Miss Anstice looked quite horrified at the very idea; but Miss Salisbury laughed. "It is not the custom now, my dear, in private schools. In my day--you must remember that was a long time ago--there were academies where girls and boys attended what would be called a high school now."

"Oh!"

"And I went to one in the next town until it was thought best for me to be sent to boarding school."

"And she was very smart; she took all the prizes at the academy, and the princ.i.p.al said--" Miss Anstice was herself brought up quickly by her sister.

"If you interrupt so much, I never shall finish my story, Anstice," she said.

"I want the girls to understand this," said Miss Anstice with decision.

"The princ.i.p.al said she was the best educated scholar he had ever seen graduated from Hilltop Academy."

"Well, now if you have finished," said Miss Salisbury, laughing, "I will proceed. So I was despatched by my father to a town about thirty miles away, to a boarding school kept by the widow of a clergyman who had been a college cla.s.smate. Well, I was sorry to leave all my young brothers and sisters, you may be sure, while my mother--girls, I haven't even now forgotten the pang it cost me to kiss my mother good-bye."

Miss Salisbury stopped suddenly, and let her gaze wander off to the waving tree-tops; and Miss Anstice fell into a revery that kept her face turned away.