Всего за 5.99 руб. Купить полную версию
Nans attention, however, was diverted by the gayly-painted cup and ball which Annie was using with her wonted dexterity.
Dat a pitty toy, she said, giving one quick and rather solemn glance at her sister, and again fixing her admiring gaze on the cup and ball.
Annie Forest had heard the words, and she darted a sudden, laughing look at the little one. Annies power over children was well-known. Nan began to wriggle on Hesters knee.
Dat a pitty lady, she said again, and dat a pitty, tibby (little) toy; Nan go see.
In an instant, before Hester could prevent her, she had trotted across the room, and was kneeling with the other children and shouting with delight over Annies play.
Shell get her, youll see, Hester, said one of the girls maliciously; shell soon be much fonder of Annie Forest than of you. Annie wins the heart of every little child in the school.
She wont win my Nans from me, said Hester in a confident tone; but in spite of her words
a great pang of jealousy had gone through her. She rose to her feet and followed her little sister.
Nan, you are sleepy, you must go to bed.
No, no, Hetty; me not seepy, me kite awake; go way, Hetty, Nan want to see the pitty tibby toy.
Annie raised her eyes to Hesters. She did not really want to be unkind, and at that moment it had certainly never entered into her head to steal Hesters treasure from her, but she could not help a look of suppressed delight and triumph filling her eyes.
Hester could scarcely bear the look; she stooped down, and taking one of Nans little dimpled hands tried to drag her away.
Instantly Annie threw the cup and ball on the floor.
The play is all over to-night, little darling, she said; give Annie Forest one kiss, and run to bed with sister Hester.
Nan, who had been puckering up her face to cry, smiled instantly; then she scrambled to her feet, and flung her little fat arms round Annies neck.
Dat a vedy pitty pay, she said in a patronising tone, and me like oo, me do.
Then she gave her hand willingly to Hester, and trotted out of the play-room by her side.
Chapter Twenty In The South Parlour
From the moment of Hesters entrance into the school she had heard this day spoken of. It was, without doubt, the greatest day of the year at Lavender House. Smaller prizes were given at Christmas, but the great honours were always reserved for this long sunshiny June day, when Mrs Willis herself presented her marks of approbation to her successful pupils.
The girls who had lived in the school for two or three years gave Hester vivid descriptions of the excitements, the pleasures, the delights of this day of days. In the first place, it was the first of the holidays, in the second it was spent almost from morning to night in the open air for a great tent was erected on the lawn; and visitors thronged to Lavender House, and fathers and mothers, and aunts and uncles, arrived from a distance to witness the triumphs of the favoured children who had won the prizes. The giving away of the prizes was, of course, the event of the day; but there were many other minor joys. Always in the evenings there was some special entertainment. These entertainments differed from year to year, Mrs Willis allowing the girls to choose them for themselves, and only making one proviso, that they must take all the trouble, and all the pains in short, that they themselves must be the entertainers. One year they had tableaux vivants; another a fancy ball, every pretty dress of which had been designed by themselves, and many even made by their own industrious little fingers. Mrs Willis delighted in the interest and occupation that this yearly entertainment gave to her pupils, and she not only, encouraged them in their efforts to produce something very unique and charming, but took care that they should have sufficient time to work up their ideas properly. Always after Easter she gave the girls of the three first classes two evenings absolutely to themselves; and these they spent in a pretty room called the South Parlour, which belonged to Mrs Williss part of the house, and was rarely used, except for these great preparations.
Hester, therefore, after Easter found her days very full indeed. Every spare moment she devoted to little Nan, but she was quite determined to win a substantial prize, and she was also deeply interested in various schemes proposed in the South Parlour.
With regard to prizes, Mrs Willis also went on a plan of her own. Each girl was expected to come up to a certain standard of excellence in all her studies, and if she fell very much below this standard she was not allowed to try for any prize; if she came up to it, she could select one subject, but only one, for competition.
On the Monday after the Easter holidays the special subjects for the Midsummer prizes were given out, and the girls were expected to send in their answers as to the special prize they meant to compete for by the following Friday.
When this day arrived Hester Thornton and Dora Russell both discovered that they had made the same choice they were going to try for the English composition prize. This subject always obtained one of the most costly prizes, and several of the girls shook their heads over Hesters choice.