“But it isn’t the right way to say it, Peggy.”
“Oh, wurra, thin, wid yer right ways; it bates me intirely, ma’am, to have to spake as ye spake.”
“But for my sake you’ll try to speak as I speak, and for my sake you won’t say ‘wurra,’ and you’ll say mean, not mane, and speak, not spake.”
“What a queer, colourless girl I’ll grow! But, for the Lord’s sake, ma’am, if it makes ye happy, I’m willin’—there, I can’t do more.”
Mrs. Fleming, as a matter of fact, had given more thought to Irish Peggy than she had given to any other girl who had come to reside at The Red Gables. She began to read the character of the child and to find out for herself how sweet and true and rich and human it was. She saw that Peggy was endowed with great gifts; but they were the gifts which might easily, if not carefully watched and directed now, lead to destruction. The child’s passions were as strong as her affections were warm, the extraordinary absence of fear in her nature was at once a source of rejoicing to her governess and also a cause of uneasiness. Peggy, in short, could only be guided by love, and with all that warmth and strength of affection which she possessed hers was by no means a nature to be easily won. She could take as violent dislikes as she could take violent and tempestuous likings; she was also terribly outspoken, and to have such a wild, untamed creature in a small school of carefully brought-up and carefully educated English girls was, Mrs. Fleming knew well, a task of no small difficulty to her. A head-mistress has to be very careful to excite no undue jealousy in a school. Peggy, by every right, ought still to belong to the Lower School; nevertheless, Mrs. Fleming determined to do a somewhat daring thing, and to remove the child at once into the Upper School. There she would be more or less immediately under Mrs. Fleming’s own eyes, she would be in the same school with the Wyndhams, her cousins, as they were invariably called, although in reality they were not related to Peggy at all; she would also be under the influence of that charming Irish girl, Bridget O’Donnell. Peggy would have, in the Upper School, a little bedroom all to herself, and would, of course, have the use of that lovely sitting-room into which even the head-mistress could not enter without invitation. To make such a remarkable change in Peggy’s favour must, Mrs. Fleming knew well, cause a good deal of annoyance in the Lower School; nevertheless, this fact did not deter her; on the contrary, she felt that by removing Peggy altogether from the influence of The Imp and her friends she was punishing them without appearing to do so.
Mrs. Fleming had a long talk with both Miss Archdale and Miss Greene, and they both approved of her plan. The school, however, knew nothing at all with regard to this until a certain morning in the first week of November, when Peggy, having recovered her health, and being able to walk once again with the slight assistance of a stick, entered the school at prayer-time. There was a look of astonishment on every face when they saw her, and Alison Maude, suddenly giving the lead, a violent clapping of hands and stamping of feet began, and more than one girl called out, “Welcome back, Peggy! welcome back!”
“It’s meself that’s glad to see yez,” answered Peggy, the pretty, delicate colour rushing into her charming little face. As she spoke she raised her starry eyes and let them rove from one face to another of the assembled girls. Suddenly the black eyes of The Imp and the sapphire-blue eyes of Irish Peggy met in a long, bold stare; there was a distinct challenge in both pairs of eyes, and this fact was noticed and commented on afterwards by more than one girl present.
“Peggy, you are not strong yet, my dear,” said Mrs. Fleming; “come and sit by my side here on the platform.”
This was indeed an honour, and the black eyes of The Imp flashed a wicked fire. Peggy took her seat with due modesty, and prayers began. She looked sweetly pretty in her neat, dark-blue serge frock, her little features, always refined, were rendered more so than usual now owing to her late severe illness. Prayers began and came to an end. When the girls were about to disperse, Mrs. Fleming raised her hand.
“I wish the attention of the school for a minute,” she said. She then took Peggy’s little hand and led her to the edge of the platform.