The School Queens

“Kitty, you have no right to speak of any girls in the school by such an offensive term.”

“I am sorry,” said Kitty. “I ought not to have said it to you. But they are stuck-ups; they really are.”

“And what do you call yourself?”

“Oh, the live-and-let-live – that’s our title. But it’s only quite among ourselves, and perhaps I ought not to have said it.”

“I will never repeat what you have told me in confidence, dear. But now for your request?”

“Well, we of Maggie’s set want to invite the Aneta set to a sort of general party. We should like it to be on the half-holiday, if possible. We want to give them a right royal entertainment in order to knock some of their stuck-upness out of them. We wish for your leave in the matter.”

“You must describe your entertainment a little more fully.”

“I can’t; for we haven’t really and truly planned it all out yet. But I tell you what we’ll do. If you give us leave to have the party, we will ask Queen Aneta and her satellites if possible this very evening, and then we’ll submit our programme to you. Now, may we do this, or may we not?”

“Who sent you to me, Kathleen?”

“I came of my own very self, but of course the others approved. We have no intention of doing shabby things in the dark, as they do in some schools. That would be unfair to you.”

Mrs. Ward thought a little longer. “I will give you the required permission,” she said, “on one condition.”

“Oh, Mrs. Ward, darling! what is that?”

“You can have your party on Saturday week, and I will give you from early in the afternoon until bedtime to enjoy it.”

“Oh, Mrs. Ward, you are too angelic!”

“Stop a minute. You may not care for it so much when I have finished what I have got to say.”

“What is it, dear Mrs. Ward?”

“It is this: that you ask me too as one of your guests.”

“Oh! oh!” said Kathleen. Her expressive face changed from red to white and then to red again. Her eyes brimmed over with laughter, and then as suddenly filled with tears. “But would you – would you like it?”

“Yes, and I don’t want to destroy your pleasure; but I presume you will have a sort of supper or an entertainment which will include refreshments. Let me assist you with the expense of your supper, and may I be present at it as one of your guests? I will promise to leave soon after supper, and not to appear until supper. How will that do?”

“Oh, it would be just, heavenly! It will give such distinction. I know the girls will love it.”

“I think I can make myself pleasant to you all,” said Mrs. Ward, “and I should like to be there.”

“But as to paying anything, Mrs. Ward, you will come as our guest, and you know we have most of us plenty of money. Please, please, let us do the entertaining.”

“Very well, dear, I will not press that point. I hope I have made you happy, Kathleen.”

“Oh! you have – very, very happy indeed. And Saturday week is to be the day?”

“Yes, Kathleen.”

Kathleen bent down, took one of Mrs. Ward’s hands, and kissed it. Then she skipped out of the room and flew back to her companions. They were waiting for her in a state of suppressed eagerness.

“Well, Kathleen – Kitty – Kit, what’s the news?” asked Maggie.

Room was made for Kathleen in the center of the group.

“We have won! We may do it!” she said, speaking in a low tone. “Oh, she’s – she’s like no one else! I don’t know how you will take it, girls; but if you’re not just delighted you ought, to be. Why, what do you think? She wants to come herself.”

“Mrs. Ward!” said Maggie in amazement.

“Yes, just to supper. She says she will come – she wishes to come – that we’re to invite her; in fact, she makes it a sine quâ non. She will go away again after supper, and we’re to have the whole glorious day, next Saturday week, from two in the afternoon until bedtime. Oh, sha’n’t we have fun!”

“Yes, of course,” said Maggie. “It’s much better even than I thought. I will write the letters of invitation immediately.”

“But why should you write a whole lot of letters?” said Kathleen. “You are one queen. Write to the other queen and mention that Mrs. Ward is coming.”

There was nothing like the present time for making arrangements; and Maggie wrote on a sheet of headed note-paper provided for her by her satellites the following words:

“Queen Maggie presents her compliments to Queen Aneta, and begs for the pleasure of her company with all her subjects on Saturday the 15th of October, to an entertainment from three to nine o’clock. She hopes that the whole school will be present, and writes in the names of her own subjects as well as of herself.

“P.S.– Mrs. Ward has most kindly promised to attend.”

This letter was subjected to the approval of the group of girls who surrounded Maggie. It was then addressed to “Queen Aneta,” and Kathleen crossed the room with it and dropped it, there and then, into Aneta Lysle’s lap.

It caused very deep amazement in the hearts of all the girls who belonged to Aneta’s party, and it is highly probable that they might have refused to accept the invitation but for that magical postscript, “Mrs. Ward has most kindly promised to attend.” But there was no withstanding that patent fact, as Mrs. Ward knew very well when she made the proposal to Kathleen.

After a lapse of about twenty minutes, Cicely Cardew crossed the room and laid the answer to Maggie’s note in her lap:

“Queen Aneta and her subjects have much pleasure in accepting Queen Maggie’s invitation for the 15th inst.”

“Hip, hip, hurrah!” cried Kathleen. “The thing’s arranged, and we’ll have about the jolliest flare-up and the most enticing time that girls ever had at any school.” She sprang from her seat, and began tossing a book which had lain in her lap into the air, catching it again. In short, the subjects of the two queens broke up on the spot and chatted gaily together, and Maggie and her subjects could not be induced to say one word of what was to take place on the 15th of October.

“It is wonderful,” thought Aneta to herself. “Why does Mrs. Ward come? But, of course, as she comes we must all come.”

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE TREASURE

Maggie had by no means forgotten her promise to the Tristram girls to give them a bracelet apiece. It was easy to do this, for they were her very special friends in the school. The fact is that Molly and Belle had a somewhat peculiar position at Aylmer House, for they were not only Maggie’s special friends, but also the undoubted friends and allies of Cicely, Merry, and also of Aneta. But they were such good-humored, good-natured, pleasant sort of girls – so lively, so jolly – that they could take up a position with ease which would oppress and distress other people.

When Maggie presented them with their bracelets they were in wild raptures, accepting them gleefully, and on occasions when ornaments were permitted to be worn – which, as a matter of fact, was only in the leisure hours – they invariably had them on their arms.

But other girls noticed them, and one and all admired them immensely.

“Oh, I have others,” said Maggie in a careless tone; “many more. My dear father was a great traveler, and these are some of the treasures he brought from the East.”

Maggie had by no means forgotten to bring her two boxes of jewellery to Aylmer House. These lay at the bottom of her little trunk, which was, it is true, stowed away in the box-room. But as the girls were at liberty to go there for anything they especially required, she was not troubled on this account.

There came a day, shortly after the great party was arranged, when the rain poured incessantly, and some of the girls were a little restless. Molly and Isabel were wearing their queer Oriental bracelets. Kathleen suddenly caught sight of them, and demanded in an eager tone that Maggie should exhibit her treasures. Maggie, only too pleased to have anything to do which glorified herself, immediately complied. She ran to find Miss Lucy in order to obtain the key of the box-room.