Jean of Storms by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer

Author:Elinor M. Brent-Dyer [Brent-Dyer, Elinor M.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Bettany Press
Published: 2011-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XIV

VARIOUS DISCOVERIES

ALLISON fretted herself into a temperature over Morag’s words, and though she was wrapped up and carried down to the Den on Christmas morning, it was a very white-faced little girl who sat in the big armchair, opening her many parcels — nothing would induce her to hang up her stocking; Morag had worked too well for that! — and smiling languidly. There was a beautiful doll from Oona, and Mollie and Jean had provided fairy-books with lovely pictures. Kirsty had sent a box of coloured pencils, and there were a jigsaw puzzle from India, a ball from Bessie, and a box of beads from Moti. Allison was pleased with them all. Only over one present did she show what had happened to her. Morag had given her a Bible, and when the child knew from whom it came, she picked it up and flung it with all her weak force across the room.

“I won’t have it,” she said, her baby lips pressed into a hard line that was most unhappy-like.

Oona looked rather horrified, but Jean treated it as a mere matter-of-course.

“Very well,” she said, as she picked it up. “You need not. But that is no reason for treating it like that.” And she quietly put it away in a drawer.

Moti had agreed to stay with the small invalid while the others went to church, and they went quite happily. Morag would never dare say anything to Allison now; and Allison would not have listened to her, in any case. The short service was soon over, and they played with Allison till her bed-time came at six o’clock. Jean bore her off, and presently came down, having left her drowsy, Moti at her side.

“Come on, Moll!” she said. “Let’s entertain Oona. What about some charades?” So they promptly became children, and acted charades for Oona’s benefit, till she was wiping the tears from her eyes, and holding her sides, complaining that she had laughed till she ached. They had acted the Balcony scene — or as much of it as they could remember — from “Romeo and Juliet,” and it had ended in the table on which Juliet was perched giving way under her, so that she fell on top of Romeo, who collapsed under her.

“Last scene, the whole word!” cried Romeo, vanishing with his lady. Presently, the door opened, and a queer creature with a muslin curtain tied round her head and face made an appearance, followed by a monk-like cavalier, who proceeded to make violent love to her.

He had just hailed her as his “Turkish Delight” when the door suddenly opened, and Morag ushered in the doctor and Mr Benson, who had been for a run in the former’s car. Something had gone wrong, just outside of Storms, and, as they were there, the doctor had decided that it would be as well for him to look in on his small patient, and see how she had stood the revellings.

The lady gave a shriek of dismay, and vanished behind a settee, where she managed to discard her extraneous wrappings.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.