02 Jo of the Chalet School (11 page)

Downstairs, Simone, another of the fortunate possessors of bobbed hair, was waiting in the passage; and Marie von Eschenau, who was noted for being a quick dresser, came racing down too. The three little girls ran to the door and opened it, letting in a rush of icy-cold air that made them shiver.

‘B-r-r-r! Isn’t it
cold
?’ gasped Joey. ‘We’ll be able to have a walk to-day!’

‘Yes – if it does not snow again,’ said Simone pessimistically.

Here is Frieda!’

Frieda, with her long blue cloak pulled tightly round her, and her pretty flaxen hair waving loosely over her shoulders, came flying across from Le Petit Chalet. ‘
Grüss Gott!
‘ she smiled as she reached them. ‘How it freezes!’

‘
Grüss Gott,
Frieda!’ said Joey. Then, eagerly, ‘I say!
You
know the weather about here. Do you think it will snow again to-day? Or do you think it’ll hold off till to-night?’

Frieda looked seriously at the sullen sky above them. ‘I cannot tell,’ she replied. ‘They sky is very full of snow, but it freezes, and so no more may fall until the night. There is no wind, of course. If a south or a west wind should rise, then I think we should have much more snow – wet snow. A north wind might bring hail. As long as it does not blow, there will be frost. If the lake freezes, will Madame give permission for skating, Joey?’

‘Sure to,’ replied Jo. ‘How long will it be before the lake bears, Frieda?’

Frieda shook her head. ‘I do not know. It depends on how long the frost holds, and how keen it is. Shall I go and put my cloak away? The bell will be ringing for
Frühstück
.’

‘And we shall be rowed for standing here without any coats on!’ supplemented Jo. ‘Come on, Simone; I’m going to shut the door!’

They went in, shutting the door behind them, and ran into the cloak-room just as Miss Bettany came downstairs, looking fresh and dainty in her navy-blue serge frock with its touches of black braid.

‘Just in time!’ murmured Joey under her breath. ‘Coo! It was cold standing there! Let’s go and get warm at the stove!’

They went into the big school-room where some of the others were, and presently the bell summoned them to the
Speisesaal.
After breakfast Miss Bettany told them that she intended arranging for walks that morning. In the meantime, no one was to go outside without a coat, as there was an icy wind getting up.

The three middles who had already transgressed this rule glanced at each other a little consciously. No one noticed them. Everyone was too much overjoyed at the idea of getting out after two days’ imprisonment to think of anything else.

There was a service in the little white-washed chapel to-day, so all the Roman Catholics – which mean the greater part of the school – would attend. The remainder, eight girls, Miss Bettany herself, and Miss Maynard, would have a little service of their own. Then they would have a kind of scratch meal and a long walk, having
Kaffee
at the usual time, and a semi-dinner at seven in the evening.

‘Splendid scheme!’ declared Margia. ‘Isn’t it, Joey?’

‘Awfully jolly!’ agreed Jo, suppressing with difficulty a shiver.

She cast a little rueful glance at her sister, who was laughing at something Gisela had been saying. No one knew better than Jo what was going to happen. Oh, how bitterly she regretted those few minutes at the open door! She had been standing there such a little time, but she had felt the icy cold grip her, and she hadn’t been warm since. There was nothing for it but to tell Madge, and all the laughter would vanish from her face, and the old anxious expression would come back into her brown eyes, and Jo hadn’t seen it since April.

She shivered violently; and Grizel, standing near, noticed it. ‘Joey! You’re shivering!’ she cried.

‘Whatever’s the matter? You can’t be cold!’

The words reached Miss Bettany, and she swung round at once. ‘Jo! Aren’t you well?’

‘I – I’m sorry,’ said Jo limply. ‘I – I was standing at the door before
Frühstück
-’

‘Joey! How could you! You must go to bed at once! – Grizel – no, Gisela, run to Marie and ask her for two hot-water bottles! Grizel, you can turn on the bath. -Come, Joey! Come
at once
! -Miss Maynard, please look after the girls!’

Joey was hurried away and into a hot bath. Then she was put into pyjamas heated at the stove, and rolled in a blanket and carried up to Madge’s room, where she was tucked into bed with two hot-water bottles and sundry pillows to lift her up to help the breathing that was already becoming difficult. Nearly all her life her colds had been serious matters, to be dealt with immediately and given no chance to get any hold. The old bronchitis kettle was routed out and set going, and then Madge went over to the window and stood looking out with compressed lips. A croak from the bed brought her to it.

‘What is it, Joey? Don’t try to talk? You will only tire yourself. Would you like a drink?’

‘Yes, please,’ croaked Joey. But when it came she gripped her sister’s hand. ‘Madge – I’m sorry!’

Madge held the glass to her lips before answering. ‘All right,’ she said curtly as she set it down. Then she sat down on the side of the bed, and lifted the child up against her shoulder. ‘That easier, old lady?

Mademoiselle is hunting up the thermogene, and we’ll soon have you all right again!’

Mademoiselle appeared at this moment with the thermogene soaked in turpentine, and a jar of goose grease with which she greased Jo’s chest and shoulders before the tucked the hateful-smelling cotton-wool pad into her pyjamas. ‘Shall I ring up Doctor Erckhardt?’ she asked her young head-mistress. ‘It might be well to have him. He would come, for he loved
la petite
.’

Madge nodded. ‘Yes; better send. We can’t afford to take risks where Jo is concerned.’

Mademoiselle vanished from the room; and Madge – head-mistress completely merged in sister-mother –returned to the bed, where Joey was groaning under the sting of the turpentine. ‘Poor baby!’ she said.

‘You’ll just have to lump it, I’m afraid!’

‘It’s rotten!’ croaked Jo with deep conviction.

Madge laughed; but the anxious look still stayed in her eyes. ‘Don’t talk, Joey baba; it only makes you worse!’

Later came the sound of voices as the girls returned from High Mass, and then the bell ringing them to
Mittagessen.
Miss Bettany ran down for this, leaving Mademoiselle in charge of the invalid. Joey’s breathing was quick and hard, and her cheeks were flushed with the rising fever. An unpleasant little cough had developed too. Mademoiselle readjusted the bronchitis kettle, and saw that the hot-water bottles were all they ought to be. She said nothing about the cause of all this, but her kind plain face showed her thoughts, and Joey wriggled uncomfortably. She was rather glad when Madge came back to take over, and Mademoiselle went off in charge of the senior walk.

Miss Bettany had brought with her some calves’-foot jelly, and she fed her small sister with it, forbidding her to put her arms out of bed. ‘Try to sleep a little, Joey,’ she said, when the jelly had vanished. ‘Are you comfortable? Like another pillow?’ ‘No, thanks!’ croaked Joey.

She closed her eyes obediently, but sleep wouldn’t come. Her chest felt as though there were tight iron bands round it, and a little sharp pain kept stabbing her in the side. She had a queer idea that the walls of the room where closing in on her, and she cried out in sudden fear. Madge, sitting at the window watching for the doctor, was with her in an instant.

‘All right, Joey – it’s quite all right!’ said the low, sweet voice that Joey loved. ‘Drink this, honey!’

Joey drank it – cool water with orange-juice in it, and then the kettle was attended to again, and breathing became a little easier for a while. Presently, she raised her eyes. ‘It’s the pain in my side,’ she said weakly.

Madge Bettany’s face grew white, but she only said, ‘We’ll put something on, Joey,’ and rang for Marie.

A little later, Marie appeared with bottle and brush, and Madge asked, ‘Which side is it, dear? Show me!’

Joey pointed, and she was pained with iodine. An hour later, the doctor arrived.

After that, Joey had no very clear idea what happened during the next day or two. She came to herself late on Tuesday night, to find that the horrid tightness in her chest and the pain in her side had vanished, and she was lying down comfortably with only one pillow under her head. A night-light was burning on the little table by the window, and on a camp-bedstead lay her sister, long curls floating loose over the pillow. Jo lay for a minute or two, pondering matters; then she made a slight movement, and at once Madge sat up, shaking the dark-brown curls out of her eyes.

‘Hallo!’ said Joey. ‘What’s up? Have I been ill?’

‘No; just a warning not to do silly things,’ replied Madge as she got up and slipped into her dressing-gown. ‘Drink this, Joey, and then go to sleep again.’

Joey obediently drank what was given her, and then snuggled down; the long lashes fell on her cheeks almost at once. Madge stood for a minute, looking down at her. It had been a narrow shave. Not until that afternoon had the doctor told her that all fear of pleuro-pneumonia was at and end, and that, given ordinary care Joey would be herself in another week. It was a tremendous relief, and not the least part of it was that the doctor had assured her that her small sister was much stronger than she had been in the summer, and that he quite thought she would outgrow her childish delicacy.

‘That’s something pleasant to write to Dick!’ she murmured, her thoughts going to her twin-brother who was in the Forestry Department in India. ‘He will be pleased!’

She leaned over the child again, listening to the soft, even breathing. Then she pulled up the
plumeau
, tucking it in more closely round her, and retired to her own bed, where she speedily fell asleep, only awaking when the rising-bell sounded.

Joey slept through it, and through her sister’s dressing. Indeed she only woke up when her breakfast tray appeared at nine o’clock. Her eyes went to the window. It was a gloriously sunny day, and she could see the mountains opposite arrayed in sparkling robes of snowy white. ‘Isn’t it gorgeous?’ she said. ‘When can I get up, please?’

‘Not for a day or two yet,’ replied her sister, as she wrapped her in a thick woolly shawl, and banked her up with pillows. ‘That’s what you get for doing mad things!’

Joey chuckled; then she turned wistful eyes to the delicate face above her. ‘It was all my own fault,’ she said humbly.

Madge nodded gravely as she laid the tray on her knees. ‘Yes – I know! Joey, do you remember Monday of last week when I had a headache?’

Jo paused in the act of peeling the top of her egg. ‘Yes, of course! why?’

‘You told me that you were worried.’

‘I
was!
Horribly worried!’

‘How do you think I’ve felt since Sunday?’

Joey’s eyes fell. ‘I didn’t think,’ she murmured.

‘Exactly! I’m not going to preach; but if you could realise all I’ve suffered since then, I think you’d do all you could to remember!’

Madge’s lips twitched as she spoke. She had had a bad fright, and still had not recovered from it. Tender-hearted Joey saw it, and, imminent danger of upsetting her tray, she flung her arms round her sister.

‘Madge, I’m a pig! I’ll try – honest injun, I will!’

Madge returned the hug heartily. ‘Yes,
do
, Joey! I shall feel happier about you now you’ve made that promise! I must go, now; but I’ll look in about eleven.’

‘Can I see any of the others later on?’ demanded Jo, still clinging to her sister.

‘Oh, yes; so long as you don’t get excited. Let me go now, baby!’

‘You – you’ve forgiven me?’

‘Yes! Haven’t I said so?’ Madge paused a moment, then she bent down and kissed the little white face.

‘Joey baba!’ she murmured.

Joey sat back contentedly. ‘
That’s
all right!’ she said happily. ‘Oh, Madge, I do love you so! And please couldn’t the Robin come and see me a bit?’

Madge laughed. ‘Yes; I don’t think
she
will excite you. Eat your breakfast, and she shall come up about ten.’

She left the room with a smile, and Joey proceeded to reduce the food on the tray to mere nothingness, which spoke well for the rapidity of her recovery.

At ten sharp the Robin arrived, carrying carefully some jigsaw puzzles, and when Miss Bettany came shortly after eleven, bringing with her the doctor, she found them disputing about the pieces, and wrangling joyfully.

The doctor smiled when he saw them. ‘I sha’n't keep my patient much longer,’ he said in his big rumbling voice. ‘We shall have you back into school next week, Fraulein Joey!’

‘Good!’ said Jo contentedly. ‘And, please, when may I get up?’

He looked at Miss Bettany with a twinkle in his eye. ‘She is impatient,
gnädiges Fraulein, nicht wahr?

However, it is well, and
das Mädchen
may arise on Thursday for a few hours. I shall see her on Saturday, and perhaps she may be skating the Buchau on the following Saturday.’

‘Oh, tophole!’ said Jo. ‘I’m sorry, Madge, but honour bright it
is
.’

And what could Madge do but laugh?

the first issue of the ‘chaletian’

Jo was received with enthusiasm when she appeared in school on the Monday. She had been kept right away from the others until then, so that she might have a thorough rest, for she was growing very quickly, and Dr Erckhardt had said it was a good thing that the holidays were coming so soon. Not that they were long holidays. Miss Bettany had decided to break up five days before Christmas, and start again on the seventh of January.

‘Easter comes at the end of March,’ she said; ‘so we’ll have only the fortnight or so at Christmas, and then I shall give the whole of April at Easter, when the weather will be better.’

‘What about Simone and Renee and the Merciers?’ asked Joey. ‘Will they go home?’

‘Mademoiselle is going to take them to Vienna, and Miss Maynard will take the three Italian girls up to Munich. You and I, Joey, are going to Innsbruck.’