The Youngest Girl in the School Part 32

'Hullo! Is that Christopher Berkeley?' said a voice from above.

Kit staggered, and stood speechless. It was the Doctor's voice; there was no doubt about that. But how came he to be driving towards Crofts instead of away from it? His sudden appearance was so remarkable that the boy's head felt in a whirl.

'I--I thought----' he faltered.

The Doctor gave a quiet laugh, and climbed down from his seat.

'You thought I was green enough for anything, didn't you?' he observed.

'Just stand by the animal, will you, while I get out of my coat?'

Kit obeyed mechanically. Everything had turned so topsy-turvy all at once, that it seemed no more extraordinary for him to be doing meekly what the Doctor told him than it was for the Doctor to be struggling out of his greatcoat just as the rain was beginning to come on again.

'Then--then you didn't go to Bobby Hearne's aunt, after all?' he inquired stupidly.

'Not much!' answered the Doctor, with another short laugh. He had got his coat off by this time, and he held it out to Christopher peremptorily.

'Put this on, and look sharp!' he commanded.

'But----' stammered the boy, hanging back.

'Do you want to keep me here all night?' cried Dr. Hurst, impatiently; and as Kit still hesitated, he wrapped the coat quickly round him and lifted him bodily into the gig. Then he mounted beside him, and turned the animal's head. The next instant, they were bowling along towards home, at the rate of ten miles an hour.

For the first five minutes they did not speak. Then the Doctor jerked out a sharp inquiry.

'Aren't you going to ask after your sister?' he demanded.

Kit started. 'I was afraid you'd rag me for it,' he muttered awkwardly.

The Doctor flicked the horse with his whip. 'Sorry you think me such a brute,' he said shortly. He flicked the horse again, and played it a moment or two, as it tossed its head and jumped about. 'I don't think it's anything serious,' he went on. 'I gave her a soothing draught, and everything depends on the state in which she wakes up. But I think she'll be all right.'

The relief at Kit's heart nearly choked him. 'Did Jill tell you it was my fault?' he asked after a while.

'I gathered as much,' said Dr. Hurst. 'You mustn't excite her any more, you know, or I won't answer for the consequences. What was it all about, eh?'

He was evidently making a gigantic effort to be amiable, and Christopher felt he owed him something in return. Besides, it was a kind of relief to put the blame on himself.

'I said you were a rotter, and she said you weren't,' he jerked out; 'and I said you were only decent to her because she was an interesting case, and she said----'

'All right,' said the Doctor, hastily. He supposed truthfulness was an excellent thing in theory, but it added another terror to boys.

As they neared the village Christopher summoned up courage to ask one more question.

'Did you come out on purpose to bring me back?' he inquired with an effort.

'Yes,' said Dr. Hurst, briefly.

Christopher puzzled over this. 'But--but how did you know I'd gone after you?' he asked curiously.

'Jill told me you'd disappeared, and I guessed,' said Dr. Hurst. If it had not been so dark, Kit might have seen a smile flicker across the serious face of his companion.

'Did Jill think about me, then?' cried the boy, eagerly. 'Perhaps she isn't so wild with me after all!'

'Not so wild with you as you deserve, I dare say,' remarked Dr. Hurst.

'Indeed, it was because Miss Urquhart was making such an unnecessary fuss about you, that I promised to come and look for you.'

He thought that the boy, although a boy, would not notice the slip he had made just before in calling his pretty cousin by her first name; but Kit noticed fast enough. He had not much time, however, to think about it before they pulled up with a jerk at the back entrance to Wootton Beeches. He began to mumble out his thanks, while the Doctor helped him out of the overcoat and then put it on himself; but the young man cut him short.

'Do you suppose I drove all those miles in the rain, at the end of a hard day's work, for the sake of a scamp like you?' he growled; and Christopher was left staring after him in the darkness.

In the holidays supper was not before nine o'clock at Wootton Beeches, so the boy had plenty of time to make himself presentable before the bell rang. He looked eagerly round the drawing-room when he went into it, but only the three elder boys were there.

'Where's Jill?' he asked.

'Oh, it's you, is it?' observed Egbert, without answering him. As the eldest of the family, he felt that he ought to administer some sort of rebuke to Kit for the commotion he had caused in the household. Indeed, he had said as much to the others before the boy came in; but there was something about Kit that would make any one fight shy of rebuking him, when it came to the point. So Egbert was rather relieved than otherwise when Wilfred interrupted him.

'Jill's upstairs,' he said, looking over his book at Kit. 'She wants to be with the Babe when she wakes up, in case she's excited or anything.'

Kit flung himself into an arm-chair and whistled carelessly. Whatever his feelings were in the matter, he was not going to let the family see them.

There was rather an awkward silence, which Peter broke by remarking that it was ten minutes to nine, upon which Egbert said something about a clean collar and went out of the room. There was a feeling of relief when he had gone, Egbert having reached the age when it was never quite possible to say whether he was going to side with the enemy or not.

'Egbert's awfully wild with you,' observed Peter, with smiling frankness.

'He says you ought to be kicked.'

'Let him do it,' grunted Kit, indifferently. Having given the Doctor a glimpse of his real feelings not so many minutes ago, he did not intend to betray himself again yet awhile.

Wilfred, who had been watching him closely, began slowly to understand.

'It's all right, Kit,' he said good-naturedly. 'Egbert never counts! He only does it because he's the eldest and thinks we've got to be reminded of it. Peter and I are with you!'

'Awfully kind of you, I'm sure,' answered Christopher, sarcastically. All the same, he stopped whistling and seemed inclined to come round; and Peter hastened to put in a conciliating word.

'Of course, we know you didn't mean to make the Babe excited,' he said.

'Jill says so herself.'

'Oh, shut up!' said Kit, ungraciously.

'As for the Doctor,' continued Wilfred, 'anybody is justified in ragging _him_.'

'Rather,' chimed in Peter. 'What do you think Egbert says about him?'

'Don't know and don't care,' rejoined Kit. Somehow, he felt it was rather mean to join in abusing the man who had gone out after him, all in the rain and the darkness. Still, he was sure he hated the fellow more than ever now, for had he not outwitted him and put him under an obligation to him at the same time? The boys did not notice his diffidence.

'Egbert says----' began Peter, and paused to give his words more effect; 'Egbert says--that--the Doctor is in love with Jill.'

Christopher sat up and gazed at him. For once his quick wit had not been quite so quick as Egbert's. So that was why Dr. Hurst had called her 'Jill'; and that was what he had meant just now by his parting words at the gate!

'Egbert's. .h.i.t it,' he said morosely. 'The chap _is_ in love with Jill.

Poor Jill!'

'That's what Wilfred says,' cried Peter, all ready as usual for mischief.