The Youngest Girl in the School Part 24

'Are you coming to the display, Dr. Hurst?' she asked politely.

'The--I beg your pardon?' he murmured, staring hard at his watch.

'The gymnastic display at the end of the term, when we're going to compete for the Canon's prize, you know,' proceeded Barbara. 'Everybody's coming--Jill too! So _you_ will, won't you, Dr. Hurst?'

'Really, I don't know,' answered the Doctor; and he dropped Angela's hand just as hastily, and pa.s.sed on to Jean Murray. Babs looked a little puzzled for a moment, and then her face cleared.

'Oh, of course, you don't like Jill! I'd forgotten that,' she remarked with a smile. 'But that doesn't matter, because you needn't sit next to her, need you? I don't think Jill would mind your not sitting next to her,' she added reflectively.

The Doctor began to wish very heartily that he had accepted Miss Finlayson's offer to let one of the teachers accompany him from the house, and he prepared to beat a speedy retreat. But Angela, in her bland and tactless manner, put the finishing touch to his embarra.s.sment and cut off his retirement.

'Jill Urquhart is outside on the lawn now,' she observed quite pointlessly.

'So she is!' cried Barbara, clapping her hands. 'Then you'll come to the window and speak to her, won't you, Dr. Hurst? Kit is there too!'

'You must really excuse me,' said the Doctor, stiffly, as he took up his hat and stick; 'but, really----'

'Oh, Dr. Hurst, _do_ come,' begged the child, her little black eyes bright with entreaty. In spite of her temporary disloyalty during the period of 'quorranteen' to the prince who had once been a beast, she still considered him worthy to stay in her kingdom with the magician and other privileged folk; and it really hurt her to feel that he did not appreciate Jill and Kit, and that Jill and Kit on their side did not know he had been disenchanted quite six weeks ago. Surely, she thought, if they were all properly brought together, they could not fail to like one another.

The Doctor hesitated, and Barbara waited anxiously. He thought he only had to decide whether he should leave at once, or whether he should stay and be laughed at by the other schoolgirl outside--the one who had made him feel so stupid at Mrs. Crofton's dinner-party. But to Barbara his decision meant much more than that, for it was going to determine whether a certain beast was a prince, or whether a certain prince was a beast.

So she waited with a look of thrilling expectancy on her face; and the other two, who had never seen her look like that before, began to feel a little doubtful about the way she was behaving.

'I say, Babe, don't!' whispered Jean, tugging at her.

The little movement roused the Doctor, and recalled him to the absurdity of his position. He bowed, and walked with sudden determination to the door.

'Good afternoon,' he said curtly; and the disappointment on Barbara's face haunted him in the most tiresome manner for the rest of the day.

Babs stood motionless for nearly a minute after he had gone. Then she smiled a little wistfully to herself.

'After all, he must have found it rather lonely without a princess, and I can't find a princess,' she reflected out loud.

'What _are_ you talking about?' asked Jean.

'Hadn't we better go back to Jill?' added Angela, impatiently.

Barbara gave a start. 'What a silly duffer I am!' she cried joyfully. 'Of course, there's Jill; and she's been there all the time!'

'Yes, she has,' said Jean, bluntly, 'and it's time you remembered it, for she must be tired of waiting for us by this----'

Barbara interrupted her with another remark--rather a mournful one this time.

'It never comes right,' she sighed. 'Now, I've got a princess without a prince!'

CHAPTER XIV

PREPARING FOR THE DISPLAY

Dr. Hurst did not call again at the little house in the garden, and the triumvirate came out of quarantine in due course, very little subdued by their eight days' imprisonment, and more on the alert than ever for any piece of excitement that might come their way. The junior playroom, having pa.s.sed an exceedingly dull and uneventful week during their absence, welcomed their return with joy; and it was perhaps fortunate for the internal affairs of Wootton Beeches that there was going to be a gymnastic display to absorb the energies of its wilder spirits. As the days rolled on and the end of the term drew nearer and nearer, the conversation on both sides of the curtain became almost entirely limited to the one topic of the Canon's prize; and those who were not among the chosen compet.i.tors for it spent the best part of their time in watching the others practise in the big gymnasium, and in disputing hotly the various chances of the claimants. Miss Finlayson had settled that the six morocco-bound volumes offered by her uncle should be divided into two prizes, one for the senior and one for the junior division of the school; and while it was generally agreed that Margaret Hulme would carry off the first, the discussion in the junior playroom as to the winner of the second was endless. Most of the girls were agreed that Charlotte Bigley and the three members of the triumvirate shared equal chances, on the whole, of being successful; and a great deal would depend, it was said, on the exercises chosen for compet.i.tion. For, until a week before the great day, n.o.body knew what the exact programme was to be. 'It's one of Finny's dodges,' Charlotte Bigley declared, 'because she wants us to be good all round, and not to grind at one or two things just for the sake of the prize. It's like the prize-giving in the Christmas term; we never know what the prizes are going to be for, till after the exams. are over.'

So the excitement was great when Miss Burleigh walked into the gymnasium on the Sat.u.r.day before the display, and called for silence so that she might read out the order of the compet.i.tion. Even the younger children forced themselves into a kind of uneasy order, as Hurly-Burly unfolded her sheet of foolscap paper; for the next few minutes would practically decide, they thought, who was to be the lucky one among the juniors.

'First of all,' announced the games-mistress, 'the whole gymnastic cla.s.s will open the display by an exhibition of step-marching.' This was received with average interest, for it sounded like one of the ordinary gymnastic lessons, and had nothing to do with the compet.i.tion. Miss Burleigh waited for the murmur of comments to subside, and went on.

'Then the thirty-two girls chosen to compete for the prize will separate into two divisions; and the senior division, led by Margaret Hulme, will perform the following exercises:--'

Miss Burleigh paused again, but there were no comments this time.

'First, wand exercises by the whole senior division; then a display on the horizontal bar, to be followed by one on the vaulting-horse,--compet.i.tors to choose between the bar and the horse,--and the whole to conclude with high jump. After tea, I will show you the exercises chosen for compet.i.tion, and will help you to divide yourselves into sections.'

The buzz of remarks from the senior division lasted almost long enough to shake the loyalty of the younger children to the head girl; and they cast many reproachful glances towards the further end of the gymnasium, where Margaret formed the centre of an eager, chattering group. Then Hurly-Burly took pity on them and called for silence again, and the juniors had their chance at last.

'The junior division, led by Charlotte Bigley, will go through the following exercises:--' began Miss Burleigh. She did not mean to pause here, but a storm of remonstrance from the junior division drowned her next words.

'Did you _ever_!' cried the shrill voice of Angela Wilkins, who, with Jean and Barbara, sat perched on the top of the vaulting-horse.

'Why doesn't Jean lead?' added Babs, indignantly.

'I say, please don't! I'm not nearly so good as you are,' contradicted Jean, in a faint tone that lacked conviction.

'Can't you be quiet, you three?' grumbled Mary Wells, who had a prejudice against the triumvirate, founded on many injuries. 'As if anybody could lead better than Charlotte! The impudence of _some_ kids----'

'Hush-sh!' interposed the audience generally, and Miss Burleigh struggled on.

'First, Indian clubs for the whole section. After that----'

'Jean--for certain!' interrupted Barbara, nodding. 'She bangs every one at clubs!'

'There you go again!' said the injured voice of Mary Wells. 'Everybody knows that Charlotte----'

'Oh, stop it!' said Charlotte herself; and temporary peace was restored.

'After that,' continued Hurly-Burly, rapidly, 'a display on the horizontal ladder, to be followed by one on the rings. Compet.i.tors to choose between----'

'I bag rings!' screamed Angela, at the top of her voice.

'No, you don't!' said Mary Wells, in her stolid, aggravating way. 'You've just got to wait till it's settled for you, so there! We all know why you're so anxious not to do the ladder; why, you can't even manage a simple travel----'

'How can you, Mary Wells?' asked Angela, solemnly. 'You know I can bear anything but an untruth; and to say that _I_----'

'Sh-sh!' said Miss Burleigh, vigorously, and she was again allowed a few seconds of silence. 'The junior division will then conclude with rope-climbing.'

Hardly were the words out of her mouth than her listeners fell to disputing again.