02 Jo of the Chalet School (2 page)

‘Won’t they be
thrilled
?’ said Joey, nodding her head towards this building.

‘They certainly will,’ laughed Grizel. ‘Heigh-ho! I
shall
be glad when we start school again! I’m longing to see the others!’

‘So am I!’ Joey threw the core of her apple into the lake, and, since her handkerchief was missing at the moment, wiped her fingers on her stockings. ‘I say! I’m hungry. Let’s go and see if
Mittagessen
is ready.’

The others approved of this suggestion; so they all went in to find Marie Pfeifen, the head of the domestic staff, awaiting them in the
Speisesaal
with bowls of delicious soup, such as she only knew the secret of making.

‘Coo! I’m glad of a hot dinner!’ said Joey as she slid into her seat and cuddled her bowl with chilly fingers. ‘It’s cold to-day!’

‘No wonder! There’s snow on the mountains,’ returned Juliet. ‘You’ll spill that in a minute if you play with it like that!’

Thus adjured, Joey set it back on to the table, and fell to the task of emptying it. ‘Two new girls came on the train,’ she remarked presently as she laid down her spoon. ‘Italians! And they can’t speak a word of English!’

‘Or German,’ supplemented Grizel. ‘And the little one didn’t seem to understand French either.’

‘How do you know?’ asked Juliet, not unnaturally.

‘Oh; the little one fell down and we helped her up, and Jo asked if she was hurt. She looked rather silly, and Jo tried her in German, and then the older one spoke to her in Italian; so, of course, we knew they were Italians.’

‘Surely it’s awfully late for visitors? There are only the Kron Prinz Karl and the Post open. I wonder why they’ve come?’

‘They didn’t say, and we didn’t ask them. Their father called them away. They’ve got jolly names –

Luigia and Bianca.’

‘Perhaps they’re new pupils,’ suggested Joey as she turned her attention to the
Karlsbraten
Marie had just placed in front of her.

‘Perhaps they aren’t! I think they’re just tourists come up for a few days,’ was Grizel’s answer to this – ‘I wonder why it is the things always taste so nice here? I used to loathe veal at home!’

‘Something to do with the cooking,’ said Juliet wisely. ‘Marie’s a jolly good cook! –
Sehr gut,
Marie.’

This last to Marie, who stood watching them with a smile on her pleasant face.

Marie nodded, well pleased. She liked all the girls at the Chalet, and adored Miss Bettany, who was such a kind mistress, and took such an interest in her younger brothers and sisters. It was worth while working one’s hardest for anyone so good, thought Marie. What made it seem better was the fact that Madame also made Fraulein speak politely to her always, and they followed the head-mistress’s example, and were interested, as well as polite. Marie’s conversation sometimes made her less fortunate friends quite green with envy.

When
Mittagessen
was over, the three girls made for the railway once more. They knew that Madame – as they called Miss Bettany – and Miss Maynard, the mathematics mistress, would be coming back that way, and, as they would be laden with parcels, Juliet suggested that a little help in carrying them would be appreciated. The train had not yet arrived, and they amused themselves with trying to make friends with a cat which walked out of the
Gasthaus
at Seespitz just then and stood looking about her with a supercilious air. She refused to have anything to do with them, and, when Joey tried to pick her up, swelled out, using awful language, and clawed at the friendly brown hand held out to her.

‘You horrid beast!’ cried the sufferer, regarding the long red lines on her hand with a rueful face. ‘I was only being
nice
to you!’

‘There’s the train!’ cried Grizel. ‘Come on! Never mind your hand, Jo! You can wash it in hot water and disinfectant when we get home! Stick your hanky round it for the present!’

She dashed off up the road, followed by Juliet and Joey, and when the two mistresses looked out of the window the first thing they saw was the three girls waiting for them.

‘Good girls!’ said Miss Bettany as she descended. ‘Yes; you can take those two baskets, Grizel, but carry them carefully – they are full of china. Will you take this suitcase, Juliet? And Joey, here’s a parcel for you

– can you manage it? It’s rather on the large side!’

‘Rather!’ said Joey cheerfully. ‘I say! What heaps of thing you must have bought! Is there much more?’

Miss Bettany smiled rather queerly. ‘Only two suitcases, and I’ll manage those. Miss Maynard is going back to Spärtz, and then she’s going on to Innsbruck’ so we must do without her.’

The three gasped. Miss Maynard going to Innsbruck?
Now?

Their head-mistress knew what was in their minds, but she said nothing, though her dark eyes twinkled with fun. She sent Joey across to the little ticket-office to buy the new ticket for Miss Maynard, and stood with them until the train had vanished round a curve. Then she bade them pickup their burdens and come home, as it was too cold to stand about.

‘But – but what’s the joke?’ demanded Joey as they set out. ‘Why have you got all these things? What is Miss Maynard going back to Innsbruck for? What’s it all about? Why -’

‘Stop – stop, Joey!’ cried her sister in laughing protest. ‘Let me answer those questions before you ask any more! You really are hopeless when you begin to chatter like that! Now, let me see. There’s no joke at all

– not the faintest shadow of one. We’ve got all these things because they had to be brought up, and we guessed that you would meet us. As to why Miss Maynard has gone to Innsbruck and what it’s all about, that is a story which can wait until we get home. It’s rather a long one, and I’m too chilly to tell stories just now. It’s much warmer in the valley than it is up here. Aren’t you cold in those blazers? You should have put on your coats.’

‘Oh, no!
I’m
quite warm enough!’ Joey assured her cheerfully. ‘There’s a gorgeous fire in the big stove, and Marie is sure to have coffee ready when we get back. Won’t you really tell us anything?’

‘Not until we’re at home,’ said Miss Bettany decidedly. ‘Tell me what you’ve been doing instead.’

‘Oh, just the usual things! We went down to meet the last train, and there were two Italian girls on it,’

began Grizel. ‘I thought they looked awfully jolly.’

Miss Bettany nodded. ‘Yes; I saw them in Spärtz. Did Marie give you a good dinner?’

‘Topping – I mean very nice,’ said Jo, correcting herself hastily. Her sister had inaugurated a crusade against slang, declaring that she would not allow the foreigners to pick up the appalling slang that the English girls very frequently used. All three felt this edict. Perhaps Grizel came off the worst. But, young as she was, Madge Bettany always made herself obeyed, and they were doing their best to speak good English only.

‘Miss Bettany,’ said Grizel at this point, ‘whatever will Evadne Lannis do about talking slang when she comes?’

‘My dear girl, why should you imagine that it will be any worse for her than it is for you? I shall be sorry for the rest of us if it
is
!’

‘But Americans do use a great deal of slang, don’t they?’ queried Juliet, coming to the rescue as Grizel crimsoned and was silenced.

‘Not all,’ replied Miss Bettany. ‘I have known Americans who used as pure English as anyone could wish. Quite possibly Evadne will; and if she doesn’t, then you people must try to remember not to pick up any of her expressions.’

‘Hurrah! Her come Marie and Eigen!’ cried Jo suddenly, as Marie and her little brother who helped with the rough work came running toward them.

Eigen was a sturdy little fellow of eleven, and quite accustomed to carrying loads, so he took two of the cases with a cheerful grin, and Marie commandeered the other as well as Joey’s big parcel, and they were soon inside the
Speisesaal
, with its green washed walls, and long dark wood tables with their cloths of blue and white checked material.

‘Coffee, Marie, as hot as ever you can!
Auch Brotchen
,’ ordered Miss Bettany as she threw aside her coat and hat and warmed her hands at the great white porcelain stove that stood in one corner of the room. ‘Get chairs, girls, and come and sit down. I know you’re all aching to hear my story.’

‘Aching? I shall expire from sheer curiosity if I don’t hear soon!’ Jo declared as she hauled up a couple of wooden stools for herself and her sister, and collapsed onto one of them.

Madge laughed. ‘Poor old thing! I hope you won’t do that! Here’s the coffee, thank goodness! It’s positively wintry up there to-day! Just look at the lake!’ Three pairs of eyes glanced casually at the Tiern See, which had a cold grey look, and then everyone turned imploringly to the Head. ‘Take your coffee,’ she said. “Thank you, Marie. We sha’n't need anything now till sixteen o’clock. Fraulein Juliet will bring the bowls along to the kitchen when we have finished.’

Marie curtsied and trotted off to her own domains, and Jo, Grizel, and Juliet turned eagerly to Miss Bettany, who was drinking her coffee slowly and with a meditative air. ‘Joey,’ she said at length, ‘do you remember a Captain Humphries who stayed with us in Cornwall some years ago?’

Joey shook her black head till she looked like a golliwog. ‘No; I’m sorry, but I don’t.’

‘I suppose you wouldn’t really.’ Miss Bettany set down her bowl. ‘It was years and years ago. I don’t suppose you were more than four.’

‘Well, I should think I
wouldn’t
remember then,’ returned Joey. ‘Who is he?’

‘He was a great friend of our father’s.’ Madge Bettany paused a moment, until an impatient poke from Joey urged her on. ‘He came to see us in the summer holidays, and he took us all over – Dick and me. He was very good to us, and Dick adored him. When he was in France – he was home on leave – he used to write at first. Then, when peace was signed, he was sent up the Rhine: he was in the army of occupation, you see. Then, somehow, we drifted apart. I had you,’ she smiled at her small sister, ‘to look after, and Dick was training for his forestry work. I’ve often thought of him, because he was so good to us, but I’ve never seen or heard of him till I met him in Spärtz to-day.’

‘In Spärtz? Did you meet him there? What’s he like? Is he coming here? Why did he stop writing?’

Needless to say, it was Joey who poured forth these questions. The other two sat deeply thrilled, but silent.

‘For asking questions, I’d back you against anyone, Joey Bettany!’ declared her sister. ‘Yes; it was in Spärtz. I was bargaining with an old lady for some crocks, and he saw me. He is on his way to Vienna, really, and from there he is going to Russia. He recognised me at one, and came over and spoke to me.

He’s had a very bad time, poor fellow! He married a Polish girl whom he met in Cologne, and they were very happy, I believe. They had a little girl whom they both worshipped, and, after the Rhine was evacuated and he was demobilised, they stayed on in Germany, living in Munich, where he had got some post or other

– I didn’t quite gather
what
. Mrs Humphries taught the baby, and kept house, and made all her own and the child’s clothes, and seems to have done pretty well everything. They were poor, you see; but there was always enough, and she – Marya, he called her – was a good manager. Then, eleven months ago, Captain Humphries noticed that his wife was looking thin and poorly, and that she was easily tired. But she only laughed at him when he worried. Well, things wen ton like this for another fortnight, and then he insisted on having the doctor, and she gave in.’

Here Madge made a pause so long that Joey gave her a little shove, asking plaintively, ‘That isn’t all, is it?

Go on; what was wrong with her?’

‘It was what people used to call “rapid decline,”‘ replied her sister gravely. ‘She had suffered terribly during the war, of course, and the doctor, a very clever one, I imagine, said it was a wonder the trouble hadn’t shown itself sooner. He thought that probably her great happiness and the quiet life they had led had helped to keep the disease back. There was nothing they could do for her, of course. That sort of thing can’t be cured when it is like that. They could only keep her as happy as possible, and see that things were made easy for her. Captain Humphries did everything he could; but she died in six weeks. Up to the very end she was hopeful, always talking about what they would do when she was strong again, and making heaps of plans for the baby. He told me that it was only the evening before she died that she realised what was going to happen.’

‘Oh, Madge!’ Joey choked.

Madge flung an arm round her little sister. ‘Joey! Don’t cry! Even then she was happy, for they had had seven perfect years together. She died; and for months he has been just looking after the baby, and doing his work, and trying to get used to doing without Marya. Then someone who knew him got him this post in Russia, and, as he can’t take the baby with him and has no one with whom he can leave her at Munich, he remembered that his old friend, Herr Anserl, had talked about this English school at Briesau. Funnily enough, dear old Herr Anserl had never mentioned our name. He just talked about “Madame” and “Fraulein Joey,” as far as I can gather. Captain Humphries decided to bring the baby here if we would take her, and brought her as far as Innsbruck. He was jut going to hunt up Herr Anserl and get our proper address from him, when he saw me.

‘Then is she coming here to-night?’ queried Grizel, who had listened to the story with wide-eyed sympathy.

‘Yes; he got a wire this morning, saying that he must be in Leningrad – Petrograd, you know, children; don’t be so silly! – by next Friday, and as he has some business to attend to in Vienna, and must get it done before he goes on to Russia, he will have to set out at once. So I’ve undertaken the care of the Robin, and Miss Maynard has gone into Innsbruck to fetch her.’

‘
What
did you say she was called?’ demanded Joey.